flesh (redirected from fleshing)

be a thorn in someone's flesh/side

someone or something that keeps annoying you or causing you trouble. A relentless campaigner, he was a thorn in the government's side for years.

See also: side, thorn

be someone's (own) flesh and blood

to be someone's relative. How can you be so cruel to him when he's your own flesh and blood?

See also: blood

flesh and blood

1. human. Many of the cartoon characters are more popular than their flesh and blood counterparts.

2. if you say that someone is flesh and blood, you mean that they have feelings or faults that are natural because they are human. I may be a priest, but I'm not immune to pretty women. I'm only flesh and blood, after all.

See also: blood

make someone's flesh crawl/creep

if someone or something makes your flesh creep, you think they are extremely unpleasant or frightening. Spiders and insects really make my flesh crawl. (often in present tenses) I hate that guy in accounts, he makes my flesh creep.

See also: crawl, creep

meet/see someone in the flesh

to meet or see someone yourself, instead of watching them in a film or on television, etc.. I knew his face so well from the photographs that it felt a bit strange when I finally saw him in the flesh.

See also: meet, see

your pound of flesh

if someone demands their pound of flesh, they make someone give them something that they owe them, although they do not need it and it will cause problems for the other person. His boss, demanding his pound of flesh, made him come into work even though his daughter was seriously ill.

See also: pound

press the flesh (mainly American, humorous)

if politicians or famous people press the flesh, they shake hands with the public. Even after 12 hours on the campaign trail, he was still meeting his supporters and pressing the flesh.

See also: press

put flesh on (the bones of) something

to add more detail to something in order to make it more interesting or easier to understand. We need some real figures and evidence to put flesh on the theory. It would be wise to put flesh on the bones of your basic proposal before you ask them to consider it.

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flesh out something

to explain something more completely. She sketches a character's outline in just a few words and then vividly fleshes out her portrait as the book goes along.

Etymology: based on the idea of adding flesh to a picture that shows only the bones of a creature

in the flesh

physically in front of you. I have seen her in films and on TV but never in the flesh.

press the flesh

to meet and talk with people. He believes he should get out and press the flesh if his campaign is going to succeed.

Etymology: based on the use of press the flesh to mean shake hands (= to take someone's hand in yours as a greeting)

See also: press