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

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

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

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