Spilling the beans may come from ancient voting
The idiom 'spill the beans' likely originated from ancient Greek voting, where revealing beans from secret ballot jars exposed confidential votes prematurely.
The common idiom 'spill the beans,' meaning to reveal a secret, might have roots in ancient Greek voting. Around 5th century BCE Athens, citizens used beans for secret ballots: white for 'yes' and black for 'no.' These were dropped into a jar to keep votes hidden.
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