Beat Around the Bush
What it means
Talk around the point instead of saying the thing you came to say.
Where it comes from
Hunters once hired beaters to thrash the undergrowth and drive birds out into the open. Beating around the bush was the part before the actual catch, which is why it means all preamble and no point.
The puzzle it came from
Beat Around the Bush was the answer to the Phrasicle of April 15, 2025. The clue read ____ ____ the ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.
Play today's Phrasicle Play the April 15, 2025 puzzle
Show the solved grid (this spoils the April 15, 2025 puzzle)
slap
bass
drum
beat
drop
sleep
over
time
travel
ban
power
play
around
town
hall
rose
bush
fire
station
wagon
Phrasicle: Beat Around the Bush