to spill the beans
18
6.0
- idiom
- Informal
- During the surprise party planning, Lisa accidentally spilled the beans about the event to Tom.
- want to spill the beans
- wait to spill the beans
- go spilling the beans
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Watch on YouTubePerhaps he was threatened if he spilled the beans on what he knows.
- Perhaps he was threatened if he spilled the beans on what he knows.
- And after Blumenthal spilled the beans, Trump tweeted.
- Jay's roommate spilled the beans to me thinking I already knew everything.
- Like, I'm the guy who spilled the beans about Biden being old.
- They'll be joining us and spilling the beans, so to speak.
- Talk to anyone who's been to those bases or spill the beans.
Examples
-
Jay's roommate spilled the beans to me thinking I already knew everything.
-
She's gonna spill the beans and cost him his marriage.
-
Would you guys spill the beans?
-
So that she can spill the beans inside the department?
-
"What do you mean?" I did not want to spill the beans on my theory so soon.
Fiction book (1999) -
So are you gonna spill the beans on the good reverend James?
-
Sherry... are you going to spill the beans about me?
-
Spill the beans, man, what happened last week?
-
Perhaps he was threatened if he spilled the beans on what he knows.
-
I decided now was a good time to spill the beans about Stewartsville, Oklahoma.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
413
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
331
6.1
Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure
293
4.1
To tell secret information to the public without permission
245
4.1
To tell people information that was secret
146
5.6
Say all private things about a person or event
130
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
116
4.1
To say the truth about something you kept secret
94
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
80
8.6
To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust
68
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
52
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
38
4.2
To show a feeling or secret without meaning to
33
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
27
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
24
3.7
To show facts that were hidden before
23
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
13
5.5
To show something hidden so people can see it
10
7.0
Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
6
5.5
To suddenly tell people something very surprising that shocks them
5
3.6
Made known after being secret
4
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
2
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
2
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
2
9.9
To tell authorities secret information about someone to get them in trouble
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
1
8.4
To tell secret information to the police or other officials
1
8.0
To tell secrets without thinking
1
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
Antonyms
How Revealing
413
4.1
∞
1.0
- Informal
18
6.0
- Informal
46
3.9
23
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
spill + the + beans
The meaning 'to reveal a secret' cannot be compositionally derived from the literal senses of 'spill' (to cause to fall or pour out) and 'beans' (legumes); there is no predictable relation between pouring beans and disclosing confidential information. This is a conventionalized, idiomatic expression whose meaning must be learned as a whole rather than inferred from its parts, so a B1 learner knowing the constituents would not reliably guess the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
The idiom spill the beans comes from one popular story about an old secret vote: people put a bean in a jar to vote, and if someone accidentally spilled the beans the hidden votes were seen. That's why it means 'to reveal a secret'.