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The IDIOM of the day


SPILL THE BEANS
is to blurt out sb's secret, to blab what is supposed to be confidential information. You may do it unintentionally or deliberately.

The expression is pretty common in American English. The phrase dates back to the early 20th century.

As for its origin, it might have originated from ancient voting practices, particularly in Greece. During elections, beans were used as a ballot system in which white beans symbolized a positive vote and black beans represented a negative one. When the results were announced, the beans would be spilled out of a container, revealing the outcome. This practice eventually led to the phrase "spill the beans" being used metaphorically to mean revealing information.

But it is just one of the theories.

Two others are connected with the coffee trade and a children's game called "guessing the number of beans in a jar."

Which seems more likely to you?
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