Modul 4: Idiom 11: Spill The Beans

Spill The Beans 

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘spill the beans.’ It’s a rather strange phrase, isn’t it? If I said to you, ‘come on, spill the beans,’ am I really asking you to push over a can of beans in front of me?

Of course not. Spilling the beans is another way to say ‘tell me what’s going on.’ This phrase is most commonly used in reference to a secret.  

So what is the origin of this idiom?

The origin of this idiom comes from an Ancient Greek voting process which used beans. Typically, if you were voting against something, then you would put a black or brown bean into a voting jar – this is a jar –  but if you were voting for something then you would put a white bean into the jar. The idea was that the quantity – the number; how many –  of each bean colour would stay a secret in the jar until the end of the voting when they were taken out and counted. If someone knocked the jar over and the beans spilt out then the voting was no longer a secret because you would see all the votes.  

Take a look at our illustration.

Can you see the man whispering to the other man? He is telling him something that is secret. He is whispering and spilling the beans about the pot of beans. Maybe the spilt beans were stolen or something?  

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“Jenny always has such silky hair! I wish she would just spill the beans on how she keeps it like that.”

“How was your date with Jacob? Come on, spill the beans!”

“I spilt the beans the other day. Freddie didn’t know he was getting a dog for Christmas.”

“After keeping this recipe to myself for twelve years, I’m finally ready to spill the beans.”

“Spill the beans Daisy! What did Rachel just whisper to you?” 

Great.

 Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding: 

1. Paul and Helen are having a baby and they found out the baby’s sex at the 20-week scan. They decided that they wouldn’t tell anyone so it’s a surprise when the baby’s born. When Helen saw her Mum after the scan, she described seeing the baby’s head, spine and heart – “oh and Mum, you should have seen his little arms!”. Did Helen spill the beans about her baby’s gender? Yes, she did as she used the word ‘his’, implying the baby was a boy.

    

    

2. “Surprise!”, everyone shouted as Alex walked into the room. The trouble is, he didn’t look very surprised to see his friends and family gathered around him wearing party hats. Do you think someone had spilt the beans about his secret birthday party? Yes, they had, and it showed on Alex’s face!

    

    

3. A beautiful silver bangle glittered on Izzie’s wrist. Her boyfriend had surprised her with it while they were out having dinner. “I’m so glad you like it!”, he said, “I asked your sister if she thought you’d like this design.” Izzie smiled and said she loved it – she had no idea he was going to give her a gift. Had her sister spilt the beans about the bracelet? No, because it had been a complete surprise.

    

    

4. Miranda was annoyed with Ben. He had told their children that they’d be going on holiday in a few weeks, even though they had planned to keep it a secret right until the last minute. Had Ben spilt the beans? Yes, he had, as he didn’t keep the holiday a secret.

    

    

5. Richard was retiring from his job at the hospital – you know, he got old and was leaving his job at the hospital. At lunchtime, he walked into the locker room, to discover that his friends were waiting with a spread of food on the table and a cake. He was completely surprised! Had any of his friends spilt the beans about doing a leaving lunch for him? No, he had no idea that they were planning such a thoughtful send-off. 

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.