This idiom means to search thoroughly or make an exhaustive effort to find something or someone, often in a desperate or determined manner. It’s rooted in the idea of beating bushes to flush out hidden game, used in contexts of investigation, recruitment, or resource gathering.

The phrase originates from medieval hunting practices, where beaters would strike bushes to drive out birds or animals for hunters.

It appears in English by the 15th century, with a 1475 text describing ‘beting the busshes’ to find game.

By the 19th century, it was metaphorical, used in American English to describe searching for opportunities or people, as seen in Mark Twain’s journalism. Its similarity to ‘beat around the bush’ caused occasional overlap, but it emphasizes active searching rather than evasion.