idiom: to beat around the bush

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If you know anyone who tends to talk in circles and never comes to the point, you can use today’s idiom to describe them. To “beat around the bush” is used to talk about people who talk about something indirectly but won’t say the important point directly. For example:

What are you trying to tell me? Stop beating around the bush and just say it!

My boss tends to beat around the bush if he has bad news to give us. I wish he wouldn’t do that.

My friend really hates confrontation, so he always beats around the bush if he has something negative to say.

When people “beat around the bush”, it’s usually because they have something negative to say and are trying to avoid saying it. However, it can also describe people who have a general habit of talking in circles and not saying things directly. In English speaking culture, to “beat around the bush” is considered a negative thing to do.

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