beat around the bush

• beat about the bush

From the older form beat about the bush, replacing the preposition.

• enPR: bēt′ ə-round′ thə bo͝osh
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbit əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːt əˌɹæɔ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/

  Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːt əˌɹæʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈbit əˌɹʌʊ̯nd ðə bʉʃ/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːʈ aˌɾawnɖ ðe bʊʃ/
• Hyphenation: beat a‧round the bush

beat around the bush (third-person singular simple present beats around the bush, present participle beating around the bush, simple past beat around the bush or (nonstandard) beated around the bush, past participle beaten around the bush or (colloquial) beat around the bush or (nonstandard) beated around the bush)

1. (idiomatic) To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally.
2. (idiomatic) To delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.

   Synonyms: go around the houses, prevaricate, pussyfoot, ramble, tergiversate, waffle

   Antonyms: cut to the chase, get on with it, get to the point

   Just stop beating around the bush and tell me what the problem is!

   • 1870, Horatio Alger, Rufus and Rose‎^[1]:

     "Look here," said Smith, menacingly, "if you think I cheated you, you might as well say so right out. I don't like beating around the bush."

• circumlocute
• hem and haw

• beat the bushes

• long-winded

• “beat around the bush”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.