beating around the bush
phrase
variants
or beating about the bush
as in hemming and hawing
to avoid giving a definite answer or position
Please stop beating around the bush and tell me the full story.
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“Beating around the bush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beating%20around%20the%20bush. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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