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spill the beans

 - 9 dictionary results

bean

  [been]
Use spill the beans in a Sentence
–noun
1. the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, esp. of the genus Phaseolus.
2. a plant producing such seeds.
3. the pod of such a plant, esp. when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
4. any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
5. Slang.
a. a person's head.
b. a coin or a bank note considered as a coin: I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
6. British Informal. a minimum amount of money: They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
7. beans, Informal. the slightest amount: He doesn't know beans about navigation.
–verb (used with object)
8. Slang. to hit on the head, esp. with a baseball.
–interjection
9. beans, (used to express disbelief, annoyance, etc.).
—Idioms
10. full of beans, Informal.
a. energetic; vigorously active; vital: He is still full of beans at 95.
b. stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
11. spill the beans, Informal. to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan: He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME bene, OE bēan; c. ON baun, OFris bāne, D boon, OS, OHG bona (G Bohne), prob. < Gmc *babnō, c. Russ bob, L faba < European IE *bhabh-

Related forms:
beanlike, adjective

spill

1  [spil] verb, spilled or spilt, spill⋅ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, esp. accidentally or wastefully: to spill a bag of marbles; to spill milk.
2. to shed (blood), as in killing or wounding.
3. to scatter: to spill papers all over everything.
4. Nautical.
a. to let the wind out of (a sail).
b. to lose (wind) from a sail.
5. to cause to fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like: His horse spilled him.
6. Informal. to divulge, disclose, or tell: Don't spill the secret.
–verb (used without object)
7. (of a liquid, loose particles, etc.) to run or escape from a container, esp. by accident or in careless handling.
–noun
8. a spilling, as of liquid.
9. a quantity spilled.
10. the mark made by something spilled.
11. a spillway.
12. Also called spill light. superfluous or useless light rays, as from theatrical or photographic lighting units.
13. Theater. an area of a stage illuminated by spill light.
14. a throw or fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like: She broke her arm in a spill.
—Idiom
15. spill the beans. bean (def. 11).
Origin:
bef. 950; 1920–25 for def. 6; ME spillen to kill, destroy, shed (blood), OE spillan to kill; c. MHG, MD spillen; akin to spoil

Related forms:
spill⋅a⋅ble, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To spill the beans
bean   (bēn)   
n.  

    1. Any of various New World twining herbs of the genus Phaseolus in the pea family, having leaves with three leaflets, variously colored flowers, and edible pods and seeds.

    2. A seed or pod of any of these plants.

  2. Any of several related plants or their seeds or pods, such as the adzuki bean, broad bean, or soybean.

  3. Any of various other plants or their seeds or fruits, especially those suggestive of beans, such as the coffee bean or the vanilla bean.

  4. Slang A person's head.

  5. beans Slang A small amount: I don't know beans about investing.

  6. Chiefly British A fellow; a chap.

tr.v.   beaned, bean·ing, beans Slang
To hit (another) on the head with a thrown object, especially a pitched baseball.

[Middle English ben, broad bean, from Old English bēan; see bha-bhā- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
bean

  1. n.
    the head. : I got a bump right here on my bean.
  2. tv.
    to hit someone on the head. (See also beanball.) : The lady beaned me with her umbrella.

  3. Go to beans. :
  4. n.
    a human nipple, especially as seen through clothing. (From the shape.) : Gee, I can see her beans, even when it's not cold!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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spill

  1. in.
    to confess. (Underworld.) : The cops tried to get her to spill, but she just sat there.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
spill the beans

and spill the works
  1. tv.
    to give away a secret or a surprise. : There is a surprise party for Heidi on Wednesday. Please don't spill the beans. , Sorry, I didn't mean to spill the works.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bean 
O.E. bean "bean, pea, legume," from P.Gmc. *bauno (cf. O.N. baun, Ger. bohne), of unknown origin. As a metaphor for "Something of small value" it is attested from 1297. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"). Slang bean-counter is first recorded 1975. The notion of lucky or magic beans in Eng. folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth. To not know beans (Amer.Eng. 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow." Bean bag is 1871 as a device in children's games, 1969 as a type of chair. Beanery "cheap restaurant" is from 1887. Bean-fest "annual dinner given by employers for their workers" is from 1805; they had a reputation for rowdiness; the popular abbreviated form was beano.

spill 
O.E. spillan "destroy, kill," variant of spildan, from P.Gmc. *spelthijanan (cf. O.H.G. spildan "to spill," O.S. spildian, O.N. spilla "to destroy," M.Du. spillen "to waste"), from PIE *spel- "to split, break off" (cf. M.Du. spalden, O.H.G. spaltan "to split;" for further cognates, see spoil). Sense of "let (liquid) fall or run out" developed c.1340 from use of the word in ref. to shedding blood (c.1125). Intrans. sense is from 1655. The noun is first recorded 1845, originally "a throw from a horse." Spill the beans first recorded 1919; to cry for spilt milk (usually with negative) is attested from 1738. Shakespeare used spilth "that which has spilled, act of spilling" (1607); modern spillage is attested from 1934. Spillover is from 1940; spillway is from 1889.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

spill the beans

Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919, spill means "divulge," a usage dating from the 1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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