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Don’t Beat Around the Bush

Hello everyone! Elham’s here from Zabanshenas.com

Today we’re gonna learn a very useful idiom.

Beat around the bush

If people beat around the bush, they keep talking but without getting to the main point.

They avoid talking about what is important, intentionally.

Usually because what they’re about to say might upset the person that they’re talking to. Maybe it’s difficult or embarrassing. So they speak in an indirect or misleading way.

They speak nonsense, avoiding a question because they don’t want to express their opinion or answer truthfully.

Imagine that you are talking with your friend and you sense that something isn’t right.

Looks like they are trying to say something but they are delaying it. So you go:

Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what’s going on.

Hey Kambiz had a video about this, let’s watch it.

Hey what’s up? How are you doin’?

Hey…

Why are you so uncomfortable? Do you wanna say something?

Yeah

Come on! Go ahead. Say it. Don’t beat around the bush just say it.

I don’t know how to say it man.

Come on, I’m not gonna bite you or something.

Are you sure?

Yeah, say it.

Yeah, um… your father is dead. Sorry.

What?

Yeah your father is dead man.

Yeah.

My father…

Yeah, you just said don’t beat around the bush so I just said it directly. Hey… I’m sorry.

Hey! Where are you goin’? Hey… that’s a street! Holy shit. Now he’s dead too. Ah man, I have to tell his mom right now.

Uh uh! Poor guy. Anyway…

“Beating around the bush”

is how American people would use this phrase.

But in English-speaking nations that are more British in their use of English,

“Beating about the bush”

is the more preferred version of this phrase.

Listen carefully:

Gentlemen, I am… I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this thing.

I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this thing. (American)

Listen, don’t beat about the bush, Marcus.

don’t beat about the bush, Marcus. (British)

This idiom has an interesting history actually.

It refers to a technique used for hunting and dates back to the early 15th century.

In those days hunting was a popular sport and the rich hired men to beat the trees or bushes with large sticks to scare the animals and birds hiding there.

The birds were so scared by the noise that they flew up into the air and therefore they could be seen and captured by the huntsmen.

Beating around the bush was therefore a preparation for catching the birds or animals, but without actually achieving it.

Today the idiom has moved away from its original meaning of being a preamble to the main event, to its current meaning of “to avoid” or “to speak in a roundabout way”.

And… yeah that’s all I wanted to say.

Now you know what you should do right?

Exactly!

Write a sentence and use this idiom in it.

We will read every comment and answer your questions.

If you liked this video, please share it with your friends and I’ll see you in the next one.

Bye!