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ClearCommunicationAppDecode Communication
Idioms & Expressions
Beat around the bush
When someone is being indirect or evasive
Literal Meaning
Beat around the bush → Strike repeatedly near a bush
Actual Meaning
To avoid talking directly about a difficult subject
Examples in Context

Friend: 'Stop beating around the bush - what do you want?' (Translation: Just say it directly)

Helpful Tips
  • 1Implies frustration with indirectness
  • 2Request for clarity
  • 3Hunting origin
Phrase Thesaurus
Similar words and synonyms for this phrase
dodge the issue
avoid the topic
hem and haw
skirt the subject
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