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beat around the bush

to avoid saying what you mean directly

In Idioms & Sayings

In more detail

(idiom) to avoid talking about the main point or subject; to talk about other things instead of saying what you really mean

Examples

• Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really think.

How to use beat around the bush

This is a common idiom used to criticize someone (or oneself) for being indirect or evasive in conversation. It suggests the speaker is deliberately or habitually avoiding a sensitive or important topic rather than addressing it directly. The tone is typically mildly critical or frustrated, though it can be used self-consciously or with humor.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• stop beating around the bush
• quit beating around the bush
• beat around the bush about something
• don't beat around the bush

Synonyms

skirt around · hedge · dance around · talk around · avoid the issue

Opposites

get to the point · speak plainly

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use it as a noun phrase (e.g., 'the beat around the bush') instead of recognizing it only as a verb phrase with an object, or they add the definite article incorrectly ('beat around the bush about it' is correct, but 'beat the bush around' reverses the word order incorrectly).

Nearby in Idioms & Sayings

hit the sack, once in a blue moon, the tip of the iceberg, cut corners

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained