beat the bushes for, to
beat the bushes for
Look everywhere for something or someone, as in I've been beating the bushes for a substitute but haven't had any luck. This term originally alluded to hunting, when beaters were hired to flush birds out of the brush. [1400s] Also see beat around the bush.
See also: beat, bush
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
beat the bushes for, to
To seek out assiduously. The term comes from hunting, in the days when beaters were employed to flush birds out for a hunting party, and has been used in its literal sense since the fifteenth century.
See also: beat, bush
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- beat the bushes
- beat the bushes (for someone or something)
- beat the bushes for
- be beating the bushes
- be beating the bushes (for someone or something)
- in place of
- in place of (someone or something)
- in place of somebody/something
- replace (someone or something) by (someone or something)
- replace (someone or something) with (someone or something)