Literary notes about flush (AI summary)
Literary usage of "flush" is remarkably versatile, conveying everything from a sudden rush of emotion to natural phenomena and even states of abundance. Authors employ it to evoke the vivid, living response of a character—for instance, the subtle, fleeting blush of blood on a cheek that hints at inner turmoil or tenderness [1], or the palpable flush of anger and jealousy that marks a dramatic confrontation [2], [3]. At times, "flush" captures the beauty of nature and the freshness of beginnings, as with the rosy hue of dawn that signals the start of a new day [4], [5]. The word also stretches to metaphorical territory, describing a condition of being, whether indicating a state of wealth [6], [7] or representing a period marked by vibrancy and effusion [8]. This dynamic range allows the term to simultaneously depict intimate human emotions and broader, more sweeping natural or temporal shifts.
- The lightest flush of blood across her cheek would overcome it.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - His jealousy had in these few moments, especially at the flush that had overspread her cheeks while she was talking to Veslovsky, gone far indeed.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - A deep flush of anger passed rapidly over Adam's face.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - Prospecting parties swarmed out of town with the first flush of dawn, and swarmed in again at nightfall laden with spoil—rocks.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - It was daybreak; from the windows one could see the flush of dawn.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - The stranger made no bones about terms, agreed at once to every condition, and was apparently fairly flush of money.
— from The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle - His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush.
— from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - The year 1863 was perhaps the very top blossom and culmination of the “flush times.”
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain
