FrenchBattre les fourrés
Meaning: To range far and wide in search of adventure or chance encounters.
Literally: To beat the thickets
Example: “Pendant ses années d'étudiant, il a battu les fourrés d'un bout à l'autre de l'Amérique du Sud.” — During his student years, he roamed all over South America in search of adventure.
Origin: A hunting term. Beaters went through the thickets (fourrés), striking the undergrowth with sticks to drive hidden game out toward the hunters. The figurative sense keeps the idea of ranging over rough ground in the hope of turning something up: wandering in search of adventures or encounters. English "beat the bushes" comes from the same practice.
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