smoke out

verb

1. to subject to smoke in order to drive out of hiding
2. to bring into the open; expose to the public

   they smoked out the plot

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Related Words

• catch
• come upon
• design
• detect
• determine
• devise
• disclose
• explore
• hear
• identify
• invent
• learn
• locate
• notice
• observe
• realize
• recognize
• reveal
• see
• spot