Etymology Journal · S

Spill the beans

Meaning

To reveal a secret or private information prematurely. It is often used when someone accidentally ruins a surprise.

Casual, gossipy

Used in a sentence

I was going to wait until her birthday, but my brother spilled the beans early.
Do not spill the beans about the new hire yet.
She finally spilled the beans about where she was hiding the keys.

The backstory

There is a popular theory that it comes from ancient Greek voting methods using beans, but historians generally consider this an urban legend. It likely originated in the early 20th century as general slang.

Heard in

Nationwide

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