Meaning of ‘Beating Around The Bush’
The idiom ‘beating around the bush’ means to deliberately avoid the main topic of discussion. The act of avoiding the main topic of discussion. It’s often used to point out that someone is being evasive or vague with their language, instead of direct.
Example: “Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you think of my new haircut!”
Similar Phrases: changing the subject, deflecting, dancing around the topic, dodging the question, skirting around the issue
Related Idioms:
Want to discover more common phrases that start with B? Check out our Famous Idioms Starting With B page for a list of them.
Origin of ‘Beating Around the Bush’
It’s believed that this expression comes from hunting. In medieval times, hunters would apparently hire men to assist them during a hunt. The job of these hired helpers was to flush out any animals that were hiding in the bushes. How did they accomplish this? By beating the bushes with something like a wooden stick, perhaps along with some loud shouting as well. All the rustling and noise would scare out any birds and other animals from the cover of the brush, making them easy targets for the hunters.
But why beat around the bush, instead of hitting it directly? Likely because it was safer to keep distance from the brush. You see, while the more harmless creatures, like birds, rabbits, and squirrels, would be driven out by the noise, so too would the more dangerous ones. For example, a wild boar could be stealthily lurking in the bushes. This animal has potential to cause serious harm with their sharp tusks, so it’s best to keep away.
So then, to avoid the threat of being seriously injured, these hired helpers might have chosen to keep their distance and beat around the bush rather than going for a more direct approach. This is similar to how the idiom is used today—it refers to someone who talks around their point instead of getting directly to it.
The expression ‘beating around the bush’ is hundreds of years old. The earliest appearance of it in print comes from a book (or poem) called Generydes: a Romance in Seven-Line Stanzas, around the year 1440:
“Some bete the bussh and some the byrdes take.”
An alternate form of this idiom goes “beating about the bush.” An early recording of the phrase with the word “about” in it comes from a poem written by George Gascoigne, 1572:
“To thinke bowe he abused was, alas my heart it bleedes:
He bet about the bushe, whiles other caught the birds …”
Example Sentences
Let’s look at a few examples that show how to use the phrase ‘beat around the bush’ in a sentence.
Examples:
1. They kept beating around the bush instead of explaining how their parent’s car got a dent.
2. He didn’t give a reason for why he was late for work, rather he chose to beat around the bush and avoid the question.
3. She’s currently busy, so if there’s something important you need to say, then stop beating around the bush and tell me.
Examples That Use Similar Phrases:
1. During the meeting, she decided not to skirt around the issue and asked her boss directly for a promotion.
2. The more you keep dancing around the topic, the more I think you’re hiding something.
3. There’s not much time left for my phone’s battery, so stop dodging the question and tell me the truth.