spɪl ðə biːnz
Food & Cooking
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Accidentally dropping beans
What does "spill the beans" mean?
- To reveal secret information
- To disclose something that was meant to be kept private
Examples
- Don't spill the beans about the surprise party!
- Someone spilled the beans to the press.
- I accidentally spilled the beans about their engagement.
Origin
Possibly from ancient Greek voting with beans—dropping them could reveal votes. Or simply spilling = revealing.
How to use it
Often implies accidental or premature revelation. Very common idiom.
Similar expressions
let the cat out of the bag
reveal
give away
blab
Opposites
keep a secret
stay quiet
keep mum
Related idioms
- piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- a piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- in a nutshell
In a very brief or concise form
- an apple a day keeps the doctor away
Eating fruit or having a healthy diet helps maintain good health
- bite off more than you can chew
To take on more responsibility or work than one can handle
- don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't risk everything on a single opportunity
Use it in a practice answer
Try "spill the beans" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.