flesh out

verb

1. (tr) to give substance to (an argument, description, etc)

2. (intr) to expand or become more substantial

Idioms and Phrases

Also, put flesh on the bones of. Give substance to, provide with details, amplify. For example, The editor told her to flesh out the story, or You need to put flesh on the bones of these characters. This metaphoric expression, alluding to clothing a nude body or adding flesh to a skeleton, was in the mid-1600s put simply as to flesh, the adverb out being added about two centuries later.

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