mercy flush

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

An additional toilet flush to reduce odor or decrease the likelihood of the toilet pipes becoming clogged.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

A more usual problem with a hatch is that it was shut too tightly. Rig for dive checks can be done submerged, with sea pressure on the outer hatch. New JOs, doing the check, sometimes forget and shut the outer hatch even more tightly when checking it shut. Subsequently, opening the hatch on the surf

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “mercy flush” mean?

An additional toilet flush to reduce odor or decrease the likelihood of the toilet pipes becoming clogged.

Is “mercy flush” formal or informal?

mercy flush is generally slang.