Expressions (expressões) – Spill the Beans

(English, like most other languages, is full of expressions that don’t really make sense when translated. This series will explore some of the different, popular expressions used in English to help any speaker improve their vocabulary.)

The next few expressions are all going to deal with food terms. English loves to use food and animals in the expressions, even when the meaning isn’t actually related to the food.

Spill the beans is a funny English expression. It is almost impossible to understand this expression just from the terms. The exact English to Portuguese translation is “derramar o feijão,” but what does that mean!

Well, spill the beans means to reveal a secret. This can be negative, by revealing a confidential secret, or it can be positive, when you tell someone a harmless secret. There is another expression that means the same thing – Let the cat out of the bag.

Examples – 

I really spilled the beans when I told Matt about his surprise birthday. (Negative)

Ok, we are ready to spill the beans. Susan and I will have a baby this year! (Positive)