run someone or something to earth

run (someone or something) to earth

To succeed in tracking down the location of someone or something after an extensive or exhaustive search. After nearly three months of searching, we finally ran the suspects to earth. The record is quite rare, but I managed to run a copy to earth at a flea market in Atlanta.

See also: earth, run, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

run someone or something to earth (or ground)

find someone or something, usually after a long search.

This is an idiom from hunting, especially foxhunting, its literal meaning being ‘chase a hunted animal to its lair and corner it there’.

See also: earth, run, someone, something, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017