Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919,
spill means "divulge," a usage dating from the 1500s.
Spill the beans
| Idioms: spill the beans |
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 | spill (Idiom) |
| Fired Wife (1943 Comedy Film) |
| Sam Small Leaves Town (1937 Comedy Film) |
 | Can you give me a sentence the word spill the beans in idiomatic expressions? Read answer... |
| What are spill vases? Read answer... |
| What is peritoneal spill? Read answer... |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- What is the meaning of spill the beans?
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Mentioned in
- spill (Idiom)
- Fired Wife (1943 Comedy Film)
- Sam Small Leaves Town (1937 Comedy Film)
- The Phantom of the West: Chapter 08 - The House of Hate (1931 Western Film)
- Episode 197: Dark Shadows (TV Episode) (1967 Horror TV Episode)
- Mojave Kid (1927 Western Film)
- Stolen Harmony (1935 Musical Film)
- Villain (1971 Crime Film)
- The Stabilizer (1984 Action Film)
- The Phantom Empire: Chapter 07 - From Death to Life (1935 Western Film)
- Ride the Nightmare: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Episode) (1962 TV Episode)
- bean
- Bell, Book and Candle (American Theater)
- The Phantom of the West [Serial] (1931 Western Film)
