to beat the bush
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To allow another to profit by one's exertions; "one beat the bush and another caught the hare." "Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours" (John iv, 38).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to beat the bush” mean?
To allow another to profit by one's exertions; "one beat the bush and another caught the hare." "Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours" (John iv, 38).
Is “to beat the bush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.