beat around the bush

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• bēt′ ə-round′ thə bo͝osh
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
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• Canada, General-American: /ˈbit əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
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• Australian: /ˈbiːt əˌɹæɔ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
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• AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• New-Zealand: /ˈbiːt əˌɹæʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
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• Scotland: /ˈbit əˌɹʌʊ̯nd ðə bʉʃ/
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• India: /ˈbiːʈ aˌɾawnɖ ðe bʊʃ/
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From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: لَفَّ وَدَارَ (laffa wadāra) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Armenian: ջուր ծեծել (ǰur cecel) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Armenian: յուղ վառել (yuġ vaṙel) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Bulgarian: увъртам (uvǎrtam) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Bulgarian: увъртя (uvǎrtja) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Catalan: marejar la perdiu — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Chinese Mandarin: 拐彎抹角 /拐弯抹角 (guǎiwānmòjiǎo) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Chinese Mandarin: 轉彎抹角 /转弯抹角 (zhuǎnwānmòjiǎo) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Chinese Mandarin: 兜圈子 (dōu quānzi) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Chinese Mandarin: 繞圈子 /绕圈子 (ràoquānzi) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Dutch: rond de pot draaien — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Dutch: om de hete brij dansen — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Esperanto: ĉirkaŭparoli — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Finnish: kierrellä — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Finnish: jaaritella — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Finnish: puhua ummet ja lammet — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• French: tourner autour du pot — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• German: um den heißen Brei herumreden — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Hungarian: kerülgeti, mint macska a forró kását — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Hungarian: köntörfalaz — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Hungarian: mellébeszél — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Italian: menare il can per l'aia — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Italian: girarci intorno — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Italian: tergiversare — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Italian: fare giri di parole — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Italian: andare per le spicce — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Central Kurdish: بڕۆ سەر ئەصلی بابەت — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Luxembourgish: ronderëm de Bräi schwätzen — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Maltese: dur mal-lewża — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Māori: tītahataha — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Norwegian: gå som katten rundt den varme grøten — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Polish: owijać w bawełnę — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Portuguese: fazer rodeios — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Portuguese: usar de rodeios — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Portuguese: enrolar — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Portuguese: encher linguiça — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Serbo-Croatian: okolišati — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Serbo-Croatian: obilaziti kao mačak oko vruće kaše — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Spanish: andarse con rodeos — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Spanish: andar con ambages — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Swedish: gå som katten kring gröten — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Tagalog: pasikut-sikot — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Tagalog: magpaligoy-ligoy — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Tagalog: lumigoy-ligoy — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Tamil: சுற்றிவளை (cuṟṟivaḷai) — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Vietnamese: nói gần nói xa chẳng qua nói thật — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Welsh: curo'r twmpath — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Welsh: curo o gwmpas y twmpathau — to treat a topic but omit its main points
• Arabic: لَفَّ وَدَارَ (laffa wadāra) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Armenian: ջուր ծեծել (ǰur cecel) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Armenian: յուղ վառել (yuġ vaṙel) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Bulgarian: увъртам (uvǎrtam) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Bulgarian: увъртя (uvǎrtja) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Bulgarian: заобикалям темата (zaobikaljam temata) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Bulgarian: заобиколя темата (zaobikolja temata) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Chinese Cantonese: 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 (guǎiwānmòjiǎo) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Czech: chodit kolem horké kaše — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Dutch: rond de pot draaien — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Dutch: om de hete brij dansen — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Esperanto: ĉirkaŭparoli — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Finnish: kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Finnish: kierrellä — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• French: tourner autour du pot — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• German: um den heißen Brei herumreden — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Hungarian: köntörfalaz — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Icelandic: tala í kringum — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Icelandic: fara í kringum eins og köttur í kringum heitan graut — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Italian: menare il can per l'aia — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Maltese: dur mal-lewża — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Māori: tītahataha — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Norwegian: gå som katten rundt den varme grøten — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Polish: owijać w bawełnę — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Portuguese: enrolar — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Portuguese: embromar — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Portuguese: encher linguiça — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Spanish: ir por los cerros de Úbeda — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Spanish: andarse por las ramas — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Swedish: gå som katten kring het gröt — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Tagalog: pasikut-sikot — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Tamil: சுற்றிவளை (cuṟṟivaḷai) — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Turkish: lafı dolandırmak — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Vietnamese: vòng vo tam quốc — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Welsh: hel dial — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant
• Welsh: pilo wyau — to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant