smoke someone/something out, to
smoke out
1. Literally, to fill a space with smoke to force a person or animal out of hiding. A noun or pronoun can be used between "smoke" and "out." The terrorists are in the center of the building, and will surely kill any officers who try to enter. I think our best bet is to try to smoke them out. Back on the farm, we used to smoke out rats by running a hose from the exhaust pipe of our pickup truck into their nest.
2. To expose someone or something and bring it to the attention of the public. A noun or pronoun can be used between "smoke" and "out." We were able to smoke the crooked cop out by hiding a microphone in the back alley where he took bribes from criminals. The newspaper smoked out the government's illegal use of torture to extract information from prisoners during the war.
See also: out, smoke
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
smoke out
Expose, reveal, bring to public view, as in Reporters thrive on smoking out a scandal. This expression alludes to driving a person or animal out of a hiding place by filling it with smoke. [Late 1500s]
See also: out, smoke
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
smoke out
v.
1. To force someone or something out of a place by or as if by the use of smoke: The groundskeeper smoked out the gopher. The police smoked the fugitives out of their hideout.
2. To detect and bring someone or something to public view; expose or reveal someone or something: The media was quick to smoke out the scandal. The ruse was successful in smoking the culprit out.
See also: out, smoke
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
smoke someone/something out, to
To drive someone/something into the open. The term alludes to the practice of driving a person or animal out of hiding by starting a fire, so that the smoke will force them out. The term has been used figuratively since the early twentieth century. “Speculators were ‘smoked out’ by a Congressional inquiry” appeared in the New York Times (1948).
See also: smoke, someone, something
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- smoke out
- smoke out of
- smoke (someone or something) out of (some place)
- smoke up
- hotbox
- hotboxing
- wana
- smoke show
- blow smoke
- smoke pole