Flusher

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A device or person that causes the rapid flow of water to clear a toilet bowl or similar fixture ; a bird or animal that drives prey out of hiding by sudden movement ; a poker hand that contains five cards all of the same suit
2. An apparatus or individual responsible for releasing water in a plumbing system to clean or reset ; an organism that forces other creatures to leave cover for hunting purposes ; a set of playing cards in the same suit used to win a hand in card games
3. Someone or something that triggers a strong stream of water to eliminate waste from a bathroom fixture ; a creature that startles prey into view during hunting ; a grouping of five uniform-suited cards considered strong in card play

Etymology: "Flusher" is a plain formation: the verb "flush" with the agent suffix "-er", meaning one who or that which flushes. The "flush" in question is the old sense of driving something out of hiding, the same action that makes a startled bird burst up from grass. The word's earliest form in Middle English was "flusshere," and its first recorded appearance dates to the late 13th century, a time when English was still absorbing many French-influenced words alongside native ones. The three senses branch naturally from that core idea of forcing something out into the open. The hunting sense, a creature that drives game from cover, follows the original action most directly. The plumbing sense transfers the same notion of sudden rushing: a flusher releases a rush of water to clear a pipe. The card sense, a set of same-suit cards used to win a hand, is the least obvious link, and it reflects how a "flush" in card games means a hand of one suit, with the same root image of a sudden outpouring or display.

Synonyms: blusher, reddener, rosier, rosy-cheeked

Antonyms: paler, whiter, pallid