thrash
Related to thrash: thrash out
thrash about
To move or flail about restlessly, wildly, or violently. The poor kid is in such pain with his toothache that he's been thrashing about in bed all night. The fox thrashed about trying to get free from the trap.
See also: thrash
thrash around
To move or flail around restlessly, wildly, or violently. The poor kid is in such pain with his toothache that he's been thrashing around in bed all night. The fox thrashed around trying to get free from the trap.
See also: around, thrash
thrash on (one)
To berate, upbraid, or criticize one. I made a fairly innocuous comment about the situation, and everyone on the forum started thrashing on me for it! You don't need to thrash on the entire team for one person's mistakes.
See also: on, thrash
thrash out
To engage in a thorough discussion in order to determine a solution to a problem. A noun or pronoun can be used between "thrash" and "out." We had to stay an extra two hours thrashing this issue out. We're organizing a committee to thrash out the homelessness crisis in the city.
See also: out, thrash
thrash out of (someone or something)
1. To escape from some confinement or restraints by moving and flailing wildly. The weasel thrashed out of the trap and ran off into the woods. I tried to hold the dog still for the injection, but it thrashed out of my arms.
2. To cause someone to divulge some information by severely and repeatedly beating them. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "thrash" and "out." The detective attempted to thrash the kidnapped girl's location out of the criminal. You can't just thrash a confession out of the suspects! We have a little something called due process in this country!
3. To cause someone to give up some quality or conviction by severely and repeatedly beating them. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "thrash" and "out." The colonizers attempted to thrash our native language out of us as part of their conquest centuries ago. The alien race tried to thrash the hope out of their human slaves.
See also: of, out, thrash
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
thrash around
to move about restlessly or violently. Settle down and stop thrashing around. Timmy thrashed around all night when he had the high fever.
See also: around, thrash
thrash something out
Fig. to discuss something thoroughly and solve any problems. The committee took hours to thrash the whole matter out. John and Anne thrashed out the reasons for their constant disagreements.
See also: out, thrash
thrash something out of someone
Lit. to beat something out of someone. The sheriff really wanted to thrash the truth out of Tex, but that is illegal. Max wanted to know where the money was hidden and he tried to thrash it out of Lefty.
See also: of, out, thrash
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
thrash about
Also, thrash around. Move wildly or violently, as in He thrashed about all night, unable to sleep, or The fish thrashed around on the dock, so Meg threw it back in the water. [Mid-1800s]
See also: thrash
thrash out
Discuss fully, especially to resolve a problem, as in We'll just have to thrash out our ideas about where to go on vacation. [Late 1800s]
See also: out, thrash
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
thrash out
v.
1. To discuss or examine something fully: The committee thrashed out the new budget. The politician thrashed the issue out with her advisers.
2. To come to some agreement or solution through intense debate: The two sides finally thrashed out a compromise. The defense thrashed a deal out with the prosecution.
See also: out, thrash
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
thrash on someone
in. to scold, criticize, or berate someone. She’s always thrashing on her roommate.
See also: on, someone, thrash
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- thashed
- thrash about
- thrashing
- thrash around
- lash at
- lash at (someone or something)
- lash about
- lash against
- lash around
- flop around