flush

be in the first flush of something

if someone is in the first flush of something, they are at the start of it. You're no longer in the first flush of youth, you know, Dad!

See also: first

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flush out someone/something

to force a person or animal to stop hiding. The military stormed the building and set it on fire to flush out the militants hidden inside. A hunting dog's job is to flush out whatever it is you're hunting.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of flush out (= to force water through something to clean it)

flush out something

to cause something to become obvious. We ran the new computer system for a week to flush out any problems with the software.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of flush out(= to force water through something to clean it)