Spilling the Beans Comes From Ancient Voting
To spill is to let liquid fall accidentally. The phrase about revealing a secret may come from a Greek voting method.
To spill is to let liquid fall out of a container accidentally. *Spill the beans* is often traced to ancient Greek voting, where members dropped white or black beans into a jar and knocking it over revealed the result early. The explanation is popular but unproven — the phrase is only recorded from around 1919 in America, which is a long silence. *No use crying over spilt milk* is much older, recorded in the 1600s.
- To let liquid fall. *Spill the water.*
- A spillage. *An oil spill.*
- Spill the beans — reveal a secret. *Spill the beans.*
- A thin strip for lighting. *A paper spill.*
- Old English — *spillan*, to destroy. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | spill | Spill it. |
| Past (UK) | spilt | Spilt. |
| Past (US) | spilled | Spilled. |
| Noun | spill | A spill. |
| Noun | spillage | Spillage. |
- He spilled coffee on the desk.Accident.
- Go on, spill the beans.Idiom.
- No use crying over spilt milk.Proverb.
Spill phrases
- Spill the beans — reveal a secret, American, from about 1919
- Spilt milk — a past loss not worth regretting, from the 1600s
- Take a spill — to fall over
- Spill blood — to cause injury or death, from the oldest sense
- Spillover — an effect reaching beyond its intended scope
Old English *spillan*, to destroy or kill, later to shed or waste, of Germanic origin.
Does spill the beans really come from Greek voting?
It is a popular explanation but unproven. The phrase is only recorded from around 1919 in America, leaving a very long gap.
Spilt or spilled?
Spilt is more common in British English, spilled in American. Both are correct.