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herumreden

to beat around the bush, to talk around a topic

verb he-RUM-ray-den Rare
Communication Speech

Usage Note

Um den heißen Brei herumreden — to beat around the hot porridge (the full idiom) — is a very common German expression for talking around a subject without getting to the point. Herumreden alone already implies evasion. The phrasal form um etwas herumreden is standard.

Examples

"Hör auf, um den heißen Brei herumzureden, und sag, was du meinst."

Natural Translation

Stop beating around the bush and say what you mean.

Literal Translation

Stop, around the hot porridge to-talk, and say what you mean.

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