AI for Breakfast

Post 96 - It’s the weekend, Idiom of the Day
Spill the beans

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Figurative meaning

"Spill the beans" is an idiom used to describe revealing secret information or letting out a secret, often unintentionally or prematurely.

Typical usage

This phrase is typically employed when someone discloses information that was supposed to be kept confidential, or when urging someone to share the details they have been withholding. For example, you might hear someone say, "Come on, spill the beans! What did they say at the meeting?"

Origin

The origin of "spill the beans" is not definitively known, but there are a couple of theories. One popular theory suggests that it derives from an ancient Greek voting method where voters would place beans in a jar—white beans for yes and black beans for no. If someone accidentally or purposely knocked over the jar, the beans would spill and reveal the confidential votes prematurely. This method of secretive voting and the potential accidental disclosure align well with the modern use of the idiom.

Another theory relates to horse racing in the United States, where the phrase was supposedly used to mean causing a disturbance or spoiling the chances, akin to revealing secrets in the racing circles during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.