To reveal a secret or disclose confidential information, often unintentionally or prematurely.
This phrase likely originates from ancient Greek voting practices where black and white beans were used for secret ballots. If someone accidentally spilled the beans, the secret votes would be revealed. Another theory connects it to ancient fortune-telling practices using beans.
The image of beans spilling everywhere perfectly captures how secrets, once released, scatter uncontrollably and can't be gathered back up. It's remarkable how this ancient voting metaphor evolved to describe our very modern struggles with keeping information confidential!
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