Is is something dirty? I though it meant stop wasting time or something??
2006-11-15 13:47:45 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Beating around the bush means you're not being direct enough. I think it has its roots in the imagery of someone trying to flush birds out of a bush but only hitting the ground around it, never hitting the bush itself. Of course, it wasn't very successful and took much longer than the direct approach of beating the stem or leaves of the bush where the birds were.
2006-11-15 14:03:12 · answer #1 · answered by thejanith 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's when instead of doing/asking something directly you start saying other things that eventually will lead you to the point. Yes, it is exactly the opposite of "going to the point". But if someone said it was something dirty it might have to do with the fact that "bush" is a name for a femenine part...
2006-11-15 13:50:58 · answer #2 · answered by dltscyc 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I heard that the origin refers to hunters who would throw a net over a bush that had birds in it. The hunters would beat sticks around the bush causing the birds to fly up and become ensnared. They did not want to damage the birds because it would ruin their value on the market. The term "to beat around the bush" came to represent an action that indirectly caused the desired result.
2006-11-15 13:54:15 · answer #3 · answered by dqsimon17 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that you are not getting directly to the point. That you are saying other things that eventually will lead to the answer.
2006-11-15 13:54:14 · answer #4 · answered by nevada nomad 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stop wasting time.
2006-11-15 13:49:57 · answer #5 · answered by newyorkgal71 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋