Language: Old English
Origin: flæsc


1 noun
flesh1 W3 [uncountable]
1HB the soft part of the body of a person or animal that is between the skin and the bones:
a freshwater fish with firm white flesh
2 the skin of the human body:
His flesh was red and covered in sores.
3HBP the soft part of a fruit or vegetable that can be eaten:
Cut the melon in half and scoop out the flesh.

in the flesh

if you see someone in the flesh, you see someone who you previously had only seen in pictures, films etc:
He looked much shorter in the flesh than on television.

make somebody's flesh creep/crawl

to make someone feel frightened, nervous, or uncomfortable:
The way he stared at her made her flesh creep.

your own flesh and blood

someone who is part of your family:
How can he treat his own flesh and blood that way?

the flesh

literary the physical human body, as opposed to the mind or spirit
the pleasures/desires/temptations of the flesh (=things such as drinking, eating a lot, or having sex)

put flesh on something

British English to give more details about something to make it clear, more interesting etc [= flesh something ↔ out]:
I'll try to put some flesh on the plan Margaret has outlined.

go the way of all flesh

literary to die

➔ get your pound of flesh

at pound1 (5)

; ➔ press the flesh

at press2 (14)

; ➔ the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

at spirit1 (16)

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