spill the beans
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spill the beans
- /ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/
Rhymes with -iːnz
Where it comes from
First attested in 20th century American English. One possible origin for the phrase is from an Ancient Greek practice of using different-coloured beans for voting, where spilling the jar containing them would unwantedly reveal the results, though this might be folk etymology.
verb spills the beans · spilling the beans · spilled the beans · spilt the beans
-
To reveal a secret; to disclose information.
They had planned it as a surprise party, but somebody spilled the beans.
Similar: let the cat out of the bag, spill one's guts, spill the tea
Translations
Every language
verb to reveal a secret; to disclose information — see also let the cat out of the bag
| Español | irse de la lengua, cantar de plano, soltar la sopa |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 露餡 /露馅 lòuxiàn |
| Português | confessar |
| Français | cracher le morceau, lâcher le morceau, vendre la mèche |
| Deutsch | ausplaudern, auspacken, alles verraten |
| Italiano | vuotare il sacco, sputare il rospo, spifferare, gettare il sangue, cantare |
| Ελληνικά | χύνω το τσάι chýno to tsái |
| Română | da din casă, trăda un secret |
| Русский | проговори́ться progovorítʹsja, проболта́ться proboltátʹsja |
| עברית | הִלְשִׁין hilshín |
Talk about this word "spill the beans." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spill%20the%20beans. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spill the beans. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spill%20the%20beans "spill the beans." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spill%20the%20beans.Cite this
@misc{spill_the_beans_2026,
title = {spill the beans},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spill%20the%20beans},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
