“Beat around the bush”in other languages

Same idea, different pictures

English comes from hunting. Beaters struck the bushes to drive birds out for the hunters; beating around the bush, without going in, was the cautious way to start.

Most of the others go in circles. German talks around the hot porridge, um den heißen Brei herumreden, from an older saying about a cat circling a bowl too hot to eat. French turns around the pot, tourner autour du pot, Russian walks “around and near”, and Italian leads the dog around the farmyard.

Thai goes the long way through literature. ชักแม่น้ำทั้งห้า, to bring in all five rivers, comes from the Vessantara story, where the beggar Jujaka flatters the prince by comparing his generosity to India's five great rivers before asking for what he really wants.