To avoid getting to some point or answering any question that is relevant, the approach of some people, which is quite far from the real objective or center of focus.

Etymology:

  • It is a very old idiom, which originated in the 15th century. This term has originated from the practice of hunting in old times. People used to hire some people known as, beater and took them to hunting trips. Beaters used to take out certain animals from their hidings by scaring them. By this action hunters could have a better aim at their prey. Sometimes the prey would leave the bush too soon so; the beaters started using sticks to scare animals.
453 Views

Would you stop beating around the bush and give details about today’s incident?

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'Beat Around the Bush':

beat around the bushTo delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
beat around the bushTo treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally.
beat around the bushevasive responses, implausible explanations, extrapolations instead of explanations.
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the Beat Around the Bush phrase in other languages:

schlagen um den heißen Brei

घुमा फिरा

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to Beat Around the Bush

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this Beat Around the Bush phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this Beat Around the Bush definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Beat Around the Bush." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/beat-around-the-bush_44476>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    I'm not sure when I'm free to meet. Let's play it by ______.
    A mouth
    B nose
    C hand
    D ear