spill the beans
reveal a secret
In Spanish
irse de la lengua, soltar la sopa
Examples
- Don't spill the beans about the surprise party.
- She accidentally spilled the beans about the new project at the meeting.
- I'm afraid he'll spill the beans if we don't tell him to keep quiet.
When it's used
The idiom is informal and is used when someone reveals a secret or confidential information. It is commonly used in everyday conversation and is not limited to any specific age group.
The common mistake
A common mistake is to translate it literally from Spanish as 'go of the tongue' or 'release the soup', which are not English idioms. Learners should avoid these literal translations as they do not convey the intended meaning in English.