to spill the beans
18
6.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
irse de la lengua
- 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
Perhaps 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
435
6.1
Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
234
4.1
To tell people information that was secret
219
4.1
To tell secret information to the public without permission
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
92
4.1
To say the truth about something you kept secret
76
8.6
To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust
70
8.4
To tell secret information to the police or other officials
60
4.2
To show a feeling or secret without meaning to
47
5.6
Say all private things about a person or event
45
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
21
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
20
3.7
To show facts that were hidden before
8
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
5
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
4
5.5
To suddenly tell people something very surprising that shocks them
4
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
3
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
2
5.5
To show something hidden so people can see it
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
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
To tell secrets without thinking
Made known after being secret
Antonyms
How Revealing
342
4.1
∞
1.0
- Informal
18
6.0
- Informal
42
3.9
5
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'.