| 释义 |
beat around the bush
beat around the bushTo fail to come to the important point about something; from the idea of a hunted animal hiding in a bush while the hunter is too timorous to follow it in there.Thesaurus| Verb | 1. | beat around the bush - be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold informationequivocate, palter, prevaricate, tergiversatemisinform, mislead - give false or misleading information to |
Translationsbeat around the bush
beat about/around the bushTo speak vaguely or euphemistically so as to avoid talking directly about an unpleasant or sensitive topic. Don't beat around the bush—just tell me the truth. Why are you beating around the bush? Are you leaving our company?See also: around, beat, bushbeat around the bush and beat about the bushFig. to avoid answering a question; to stall; to waste time. Stop beating around the bush and answer my question. Let's stop beating about the bush and discuss this matter.See also: around, beat, bushbeat around the bushAlso, 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. See also: around, beat, bushbeat around the bushTo speak evasively or misleadingly, or to stall or waste time. To flush pheasants and other birds so they could be shot, British gamekeepers hired beaters who would swing sticks at likely places where the birds might be lurking. Not to go directly to such foliage but to work around it instead gave the impression of wasting time or not trying very hard to raise the birds; hence, beating around the bush.See also: around, beat, bushAcronymsSeeBATBbeat around the bush
Related to beat around the bush: ring hollowSynonyms for beat around the bushverb be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold informationSynonyms- equivocate
- palter
- prevaricate
- tergiversate
Related Words |