biːt əˈraʊnd ðə bʊʃ
Nature & Weather
neutral
beginner
- Literally:
- To beat the bushes around but not directly enter them
What does "beat around the bush" mean?
- To avoid talking about the main point of a conversation
- To approach a matter indirectly without getting to the point
Examples
- Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
- He beat around the bush for an hour before admitting the truth.
- Don't beat around the bush—just say what you mean.
Origin
From bird hunting, where beaters would hit the bushes to flush out birds for hunters. Some beaters would avoid going directly into thorny bushes, working around them instead. Used figuratively since the 15th century.
How to use it
Very common expression. Often used as a request to be more direct. British English uses 'beat about the bush.'
Similar expressions
hedge
dodge the issue
avoid the point
Opposites
get to the point
be direct
cut to the chase
Related idioms
- out of the blue
Unexpectedly; without warning
- every cloud has a silver lining
There is something positive in every negative situation
- go with the flow
To accept things as they are and adapt accordingly
- once in a blue moon
Very rarely; almost never
- tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger hidden problem
- it's raining cats and dogs
It's raining very heavily
Use it in a practice answer
Try "beat around the bush" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.