Vocabulary
um den heißen Brei herumreden
/ʊm deːn ˈhaɪ̯sn̩ bʁaɪ̯ hɛˈʁʊmˌʁeːdn̩/· phrase
to beat about the bush
When someone won't get to the point: „Red nicht um den heißen Brei herum!“ An older form compares them to a cat circling a bowl of hot porridge it wants but can't eat yet.
CEFR C1Frequency ●●●●●idiomatic, neutral
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Präsens
- redet um den heißen Brei herum
- Präteritum
- redete um den heißen Brei herum
- Perfekt
- hat um den heißen Brei herumgeredet
- Imperativ
- Red nicht um den heißen Brei herum!
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
um den heißen Brei herumreden
to avoid the main point, not to say something directly
Bitte red nicht um den heißen Brei herum: Bekomme ich die Stelle oder nicht?
Please don't beat about the bush: do I get the job or not?
Common combinations
- lange um den heißen Brei herumredento beat about the bush for a long time
- ohne um den heißen Brei herumzuredenwithout beating about the bush
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
ausweichennicht zur Sache kommen
↔ Opposites
Klartext redensich kein Blatt vor den Mund nehmen
Common learner mistakes
- Er redet um den heißen Brei.Er redet um den heißen Brei herum.herumreden is separable: the prefix herum goes to the end of the clause.
Real examples
- Er hat eine halbe Stunde um den heißen Brei herumgeredet.He beat about the bush for half an hour.
- Ohne um den heißen Brei herumzureden: Das Projekt ist gescheitert.Without beating about the bush: the project has failed.
- Warum redest du so lange um den heißen Brei herum?Why are you beating about the bush for so long?
