beat around the bush

1. To avoid getting to the point of an issue: “Your worries have nothing to do with the new proposal. Stop beating around the bush, and cast your vote!”

Idioms and Phrases

Also, beat about the bush. Approach indirectly, in a roundabout way, or too cautiously. For example, Stop beating around the bush—get to the point. This term, first recorded in 1572, originally may have alluded to beating the bushes for game.

Example Sentences

Irritated by their lack of clarity, he told an agent that had told him of Newcastle's interest: "Tell them to call me directly and not beat around the bush."

Read more on BBC

"The next few games are about him, I'm not going to beat around the bush," Coady said.

Read more on BBC

“What more do I need? That was a lot of high-level officials that we needed to confirm to us that he’s really gone. There was no way to beat around the bush,” Maryam Kamalmaz said.

Read more on Seattle Times

After meeting President Joe Biden, he said: “We shouldn’t beat around the bush: support from the United States is indispensable for the question of whether Ukraine will be in a position to defend itself.”

Read more on Seattle Times

I’ve willingly stuck it out through every movie in the horror series, so there’s no use beating around the bush: “Saw” is my kind of trash.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• baffle 
• confound 
• dodge 
• evade 
• flee 
• foil 
• frustrate 
• outrun 
• outwit 
• puzzle 
• shun 
• stall 
• stonewall 
• thwart