Meaning

2 senses

  1. (idiomatic)To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.

    um den heißen Brei herumreden

  2. (idiomatic)To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.

    Just stop beating around the bush and tell me what the problem is!

    um den heißen Brei herumreden

More definitions
  • be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

Examples

24 sentences

  1. Tom doesn't beat around the bush.

    Том не ходить коло та навколо. — deniko

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. I didn't beat around the bush.

    Я не став ходити коло та навколо. — deniko

    ruЯ не стал ходить вокруг да около. — marafon

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Tom didn't beat around the bush.

    Том не став ходити коло та навколо. — deniko

    ruТом не стал ходить вокруг да около. — marafon

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Don't beat around the bush.

    Досить ходити коло та навколо. — deniko

    ruХватит ходить вокруг да около. — Hellerick

    deRede nicht um den heißen Brei herum! — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Let's not beat around the bush.

    ruДавайте не будем ходить вокруг да около. — marafon

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

7 languages
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to treat a topic but omit its main points:

Origin

From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.

From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

beats around the bush, beating around the bush, beat around the bush, beaten around the bush
Base formbeat around the bush · to beat around the bush
3rd person singularbeats around the bush
Present participlebeating around the bush
Past simplebeat around the bush
Past participlebeaten around the bush / beat around the bush

irregular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theybeat around the bush
he, she, itbeats around the bush

Past simpleLesson

all personsbeat around the bush

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave beaten around the bush
he, she, ithas beaten around the bush

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill beat around the bush

Synonyms

8 synonyms
go around the housesprevaricatepussyfootrambletergiversatewaffle
Close in meaning

Antonyms

3 antonyms
cut to the chaseget on withget to the point

Word family

1 related words
Relatedlong-winded

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
beastiebeatB1beaterbeatingbeatitudebeatnik
beat around the bush — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto