Beat about the bush

Idiom of the day

The editorial

Source: Idiom of the day · 11 Sep 2026

Meaning:

To avoid coming to the main point

To speak vaguely or indirectly out of hesitation

To waste time on side matters instead of the real issue

Example:

Stop beating about the bush and tell me whether the loan has been sanctioned or not.

The officer beat about the bush for twenty minutes before admitting that the file had been misplaced.

In an interview you have very little time, so answer directly rather than beating about the bush.

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20 words from this day's editorials with Hindi meaning

The important words of this editorial with Hindi meaning, synonyms, antonyms and an example. Tap a word for its dictionary page.

Attenuate (verb)

To make something weaker, thinner or less forceful. कमज़ोर करना, घटाना

Synonyms: Weaken, Dilute, Diminish, Reduce

Antonyms: Strengthen, Intensify, Amplify, Heighten

Example: Thick walls attenuate the noise of traffic outside the hostel.

Perfunctory (adjective)

Done as a routine duty, with little care, interest or effort. लापरवाह, औपचारिक

Synonyms: Cursory, Mechanical, Superficial, Half-Hearted

Antonyms: Thorough, Careful, Diligent, Painstaking

Example: The guard gave our bags a perfunctory check and waved us in.

Acquiesce (verb)

To accept or agree to something quietly, without protest even if unwilling. चुपचाप मान लेना, सहमत होना

Synonyms: Consent, Comply, Submit, Go Along

Antonyms: Resist, Object, Protest, Defy

Example: She did not like the transfer but acquiesced to avoid a fight.

Brinkmanship (noun)

Pushing a dangerous situation to the very edge to force the other side to give in. जोखिम भरी नीति, कगार की राजनीति

Synonyms: Risky Bluffing, Dangerous Gambit, High-Stakes Play, Sabre-Rattling

Antonyms: Caution, Conciliation, Compromise, Prudence

Example: The two sides moved troops to the border in an act of pure brinkmanship.

Conflagration (noun)

A huge destructive fire; also a large, spreading war or conflict. भीषण आग, अग्निकांड

Synonyms: Inferno, Blaze, Firestorm, Wide War

Antonyms: Peace, Truce, Calm, Ceasefire

Example: A single spark in the storeroom grew into a conflagration that gutted the market.

Intransigence (noun)

Stubborn refusal to change one's position or to compromise. अड़ियलपन, हठ

Synonyms: Obstinacy, Rigidity, Stubbornness, Inflexibility

Antonyms: Flexibility, Compromise, Accommodation, Openness

Example: The strike dragged on because of intransigence on both sides of the table.

Onerous (adjective)

Involving a heavy burden of work, cost or responsibility. बोझिल, भारी

Synonyms: Burdensome, Taxing, Demanding, Arduous

Antonyms: Easy, Light, Effortless, Undemanding

Example: Caring for the accounts alone became an onerous duty for the young clerk.

Circumspect (adjective)

Careful and cautious, thinking about all the risks before acting. सतर्क, सावधान

Synonyms: Cautious, Prudent, Wary, Guarded

Antonyms: Reckless, Rash, Careless, Impulsive

Example: Be circumspect before signing any agreement you have not read fully.

Salutary (adjective)

Having a good, useful or corrective effect, even if unpleasant at first. हितकारी, लाभदायक

Synonyms: Beneficial, Useful, Corrective, Wholesome

Antonyms: Harmful, Damaging, Injurious, Detrimental

Example: The failed test was a salutary lesson that changed his study habits.

Exhortation (noun)

A strong appeal or speech urging someone to do something. आग्रह, उपदेश

Synonyms: Urging, Appeal, Pep Talk, Admonition

Antonyms: Discouragement, Dissuasion, Silence, Indifference

Example: Posters full of exhortation to save water were pasted across the campus.

Propitious (adjective)

Favourable; giving a good chance of success. अनुकूल, शुभ

Synonyms: Favourable, Auspicious, Opportune, Promising

Antonyms: Unfavourable, Inauspicious, Adverse, Untimely

Example: With good rain and low prices, it was a propitious time to sow.

Sclerotic (adjective)

Rigid and unable to adapt or change; medically, hardened. जड़, कठोर

Synonyms: Rigid, Inflexible, Ossified, Stagnant

Antonyms: Flexible, Agile, Adaptable, Dynamic

Example: A sclerotic bureaucracy takes months to approve a simple file.

Augur (verb)

To be a sign of what will happen in future; to foretell. संकेत देना, शुभ-अशुभ बताना

Synonyms: Foretell, Portend, Presage, Signal

Antonyms: Conceal, Misjudge, Ignore, Obscure

Example: Heavy pre-monsoon showers augur a good harvest this year.

Egregious (adjective)

Shockingly bad; outstandingly wrong in an obvious way. घोर, अत्यंत बुरा

Synonyms: Glaring, Flagrant, Outrageous, Blatant

Antonyms: Minor, Trivial, Slight, Excusable

Example: Leaving the fire exit locked was an egregious lapse by the management.

Connivance (noun)

Secret cooperation in a wrongdoing, or deliberately ignoring it. मिलीभगत, दुरभिसंधि

Synonyms: Collusion, Complicity, Tacit Consent, Conspiracy

Antonyms: Opposition, Vigilance, Prevention, Honesty

Example: The illegal stalls came up with the connivance of the local inspector.

Impunity (noun)

Freedom from punishment or from the bad consequences of one's actions. दंडमुक्ति, सज़ा से छूट

Synonyms: Exemption, Immunity, Licence, Non-Accountability

Antonyms: Accountability, Punishment, Liability, Penalty

Example: Trucks overloaded far beyond the limit ply the highway with impunity.

Assiduously (adverb)

With constant care, attention and hard work. लगन से, परिश्रम से

Synonyms: Diligently, Painstakingly, Persistently, Carefully

Antonyms: Carelessly, Lazily, Casually, Negligently

Example: She assiduously revised one chapter every night before the exam.

Chimerical (adjective)

Imaginary and impossible; based on wild fancy rather than reality. काल्पनिक, असंभव

Synonyms: Illusory, Fanciful, Unreal, Utopian

Antonyms: Real, Practical, Feasible, Concrete

Example: Their plan to build a city on the marsh in one year was chimerical.

Protean (adjective)

Able to change form easily; very variable or versatile. बहुरूपी, परिवर्तनशील

Synonyms: Versatile, Changeable, Adaptable, Mutable

Antonyms: Fixed, Rigid, Unchanging, Constant

Example: Social media is protean, showing each user a different version of the world.

Palimpsest (noun)

A surface reused for new writing where traces of the old still show; a layered thing. पुनर्लिखित पांडुलिपि, परतदार अभिलेख

Synonyms: Layered Record, Overwritten Manuscript, Multi-Layered Text, Composite

Antonyms: Blank Slate, Clean Sheet, Original, Single Layer

Example: The old city is a palimpsest of walls, temples and new flyovers.

Quick quiz: 5 questions on these words

Synonyms and antonyms, the way exams ask them. Answers show as you tap.

1. Synonym of Impunity

2. Antonym of Sclerotic

3. Synonym of Intransigence

4. Antonym of Exhortation

5. Synonym of Circumspect

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