Meanings
verbbeat around the bush (third-person singular simple present beats around the bush, present participle beating around the bush, simple past beat around the bush or (nonstandard) beated around the bush, past participle beaten around the bush or (colloquial) beat around the bush or (nonstandard) beated around the bush)
present singular third person beats around the bush · participle present beating around the bush · nonstandard past beated around the bush · participle past beaten around the bush · nonstandard participle past beated around the bush · alternative beat about the bush
- idiomaticTo treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
- idiomaticTo delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
Just stop beating around the bush and tell me what the problem is!
1 more example
"Look here," said Smith, menacingly, "if you think I cheated you, you might as well say so right out. I don't like beating around the bush."
1870, Horatio Alger, Rufus and RoseSynonyms: go around the houses, prevaricate, pussyfoot, ramble, tergiversate, waffle · Antonyms: cut to the chase, get on with, get to the point
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
More synonyms by meaning
verbbe deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic لَفَّ وَدَارَ, لَفَّ وَدَارَ
- لَفَّ وَدَارَ (laffa wadāra)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- لَفَّ وَدَارَ (laffa wadāra)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Bulgarian шикалкавя, увъртам
- шикалкавя (šikalkavja)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- увъртам (uvărtam)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- увъртя (uvărtja)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- шикалкавя (šikalkavja)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- увъртам (uvărtam)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- увъртя (uvărtja)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- заобикалям темата (zaobikaljam temata)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- заобиколя темата (zaobikolja temata)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Catalan marejar la perdiu
- marejar la perdiuto treat a topic but omit its main points
Chinese Cantonese 轉彎抹角 /转弯抹角
- 轉彎抹角 /转弯抹角 (zyun³ waan¹ mut³ gok³, zyun³ waan¹ mut⁶ gok³)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Chinese Mandarin 拐彎抹角 /拐弯抹角, 轉彎抹角 /转弯抹角
- 拐彎抹角 /拐弯抹角 (guǎiwānmòjiǎo)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- 轉彎抹角 /转弯抹角 (zhuǎnwānmòjiǎo)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- 兜圈子 (dōu quānzi)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- 繞圈子 /绕圈子 (ràoquānzi)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- 拐彎抹角 /拐弯抹角 (guǎiwānmòjiǎo)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Czech chodit kolem horké kaše
- chodit kolem horké kašeto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Dutch rond de pot draaien, om de hete brij dansen
- rond de pot draaiento treat a topic but omit its main points
- om de hete brij dansento treat a topic but omit its main points
- rond de pot draaiento delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- om de hete brij dansento delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Esperanto ĉirkaŭparoli, ĉirkaŭparoli
- ĉirkaŭparolito treat a topic but omit its main points
- ĉirkaŭparolito delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Finnish kierrellä, jaaritella
- kierrelläto treat a topic but omit its main points
- jaaritellato treat a topic but omit its main points
- puhua ummet ja lammetto treat a topic but omit its main points
- kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroato delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- kierrelläto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
French tourner autour du pot, tourner autour du pot
- tourner autour du potto treat a topic but omit its main points
- tourner autour du potto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
German um den heißen Brei herumreden, um den heißen Brei herumreden
- um den heißen Brei herumredento treat a topic but omit its main points
- um den heißen Brei herumredento delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Hungarian kerülgeti, mint macska a forró kását, köntörfalaz
- kerülgeti, mint macska a forró kásátto treat a topic but omit its main points
- köntörfalazto treat a topic but omit its main points
- mellébeszélto treat a topic but omit its main points
- köntörfalazto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Icelandic tala í kringum, fara í kringum eins og köttur í kringum heitan graut
- tala í kringumto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- fara í kringum eins og köttur í kringum heitan grautto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Italian menare il can per l'aia, girarci intorno
- menare il can per l'aiato treat a topic but omit its main points
- girarci intornoto treat a topic but omit its main points
- tergiversareto treat a topic but omit its main points
- fare giri di paroleto treat a topic but omit its main points
- andare per le spicceto treat a topic but omit its main points
- menare il can per l'aiato delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Māori tītahataha, tītahataha
- tītahatahato treat a topic but omit its main points
- tītahatahato delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Norwegian gå som katten rundt den varme grøten, gå som katten rundt den varme grøten
- gå som katten rundt den varme grøtento treat a topic but omit its main points
- gå som katten rundt den varme grøtento delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Polish owijać w bawełnę, owijać w bawełnę
- owijać w bawełnęto treat a topic but omit its main points
- owijać w bawełnęto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Portuguese fazer rodeios, usar de rodeios
- fazer rodeiosto treat a topic but omit its main points
- usar de rodeiosto treat a topic but omit its main points
- enrolarto treat a topic but omit its main points
- encher linguiçato treat a topic but omit its main points
- enrolarto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- embromarto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- encher linguiçato delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Spanish andarse con rodeos, andar con ambages
- andarse con rodeosto treat a topic but omit its main points
- andar con ambagesto treat a topic but omit its main points
- ir por los cerros de Úbedato delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- andarse por las ramasto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Swedish gå som katten kring gröten, gå som katten kring het gröt
- gå som katten kring grötento treat a topic but omit its main points
- gå som katten kring het grötto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Tagalog pasikut-sikot, magpaligoy-ligoy
- pasikut-sikotto treat a topic but omit its main points
- magpaligoy-ligoyto treat a topic but omit its main points
- lumigoy-ligoyto treat a topic but omit its main points
- pasikut-sikotto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Tamil சுற்றிவளை, சுற்றிவளை
- சுற்றிவளை (cuṟṟivaḷai)to treat a topic but omit its main points
- சுற்றிவளை (cuṟṟivaḷai)to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Turkish lafı dolandırmak
- lafı dolandırmakto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Vietnamese nói gần nói xa chẳng qua nói thật, vòng vo tam quốc
- nói gần nói xa chẳng qua nói thậtto treat a topic but omit its main points
- vòng vo tam quốcto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Welsh curo'r twmpath, curo o gwmpas y twmpathau
- curo'r twmpathto treat a topic but omit its main points
- curo o gwmpas y twmpathauto treat a topic but omit its main points
- hel dialto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
- pilo wyauto delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
Cite this entry
APA
beat around the bush. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20around%20the%20bush
MLA
“beat around the bush.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20around%20the%20bush. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beat around the bush,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beat%20around%20the%20bush.
Source: beat around the bush on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.