spill the beans

First attested in 20th century American English. One possible origin for the phrase is from an Ancient Greek practice of using different-coloured beans for voting, where spilling the jar containing them would unwantedly reveal the results, though this might be folk etymology.

• "They had planned it as a surprise party, but somebody spilled the beans."
• "I guarantee you, someone's going to spill the beans and next thing this shit's all over the news."
• "He accepted a contract to kill you and Frank DePalma. You because she couldn't be sure what Wennington had told you, and Frank because he got cold feet and was about to spill the beans."
• "More unsettling was the origin story of the infamous tell-all book Princess in Love. Diana claimed to be outraged in 1994 when Daily Express journalist Anna Pasternak spilled the beans of her affair with former army officer James Hewitt[…]"
• "Shall we meet up for a meal and I think I can be persuaded to spill the beans if I drink enough wine."

• let the cat out of the bag
• spill one's guts
• spill the tea