/ʊm deːn ˈhaɪ̯sn̩ ˈbʁaɪ̯ hɛˈʁʊmˌʁeːdn̩/ lit. ‘talk around the hot porridge’
German idiom, everyday. To avoid saying the important thing directly.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Um den heißen Brei herumreden
?
Everyday German, fine at work or at home. It shows up most in commands, usually impatient ones: “Red nicht um den heißen Brei herum!” or “Hör auf, um den heißen Brei herumzureden”. Note how the verb splits: “er redet um den heißen Brei herum”.
Also said um den heißen Brei reden, um den Brei herumreden
Um den heißen Brei herumreden
in real sentences
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Hör auf, um den heißen Brei herumzureden, und komm zur Sache.
Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.
Tatoeba, sentence by MUIRIEL, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Red’ nicht um den heißen Brei herum; sag mir, wer schuld ist.
Don’t beat around the bush; tell me who is to blame.
Tatoeba, sentence by Zaghawa, translation by CM, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Um den heißen Brei herumreden
come from?
German Wiktionary also lists a longer form, “wie die Katze um den heißen Brei (schleichen)”, which gives the picture away: a cat circling a bowl of hot porridge it wants but doesn’t dare touch. Neither Wiktionary gives a date or a first use for the phrase, and we didn’t find one.
Mistakes learners make with Um den heißen Brei herumreden
Using the wrong preposition, as in “über den heißen Brei reden”. You’re not talking about the porridge; you’re going “um ... herum”, around it.
Other German idioms like Um den heißen Brei herumreden
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?
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