English idiom · neutral · spoken & written · BrE & AmE
beat around the bush: meaning and examples
beat around the bush means avoid saying something directly.
Aprende la expresión como una unidad fija y observa la preposición y la forma verbal en los ejemplos.
این عبارت را بهصورت یک واحد ثابت یاد بگیرید و به حرف اضافه و شکل فعل در مثالها توجه کنید.
Lerne die Wendung als feste Einheit und achte in den Beispielen auf Präposition und Verbform.
Apprenez l’expression comme une unité fixe et observez la préposition et la forme verbale dans les exemples.
Memory hook: Build a clear mental picture from “beat around the bush” and connect it to this meaning: avoid saying something directly.
How to use “beat around the bush”
- Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
- He beat around the bush for ten minutes.
Common mistake: Treat “beat around the bush” as a fixed expression. Notice its exact word order in the examples.
Learn it in context
This expression belongs to Lesson 10, where you can compare it with other idioms about communication and practise it interactively.
Open the full lesson →