Tourner autour du pot

You're chatting with someone, and instead of diving into the juicy details, they take you on a whimsical journey around the main topic. They share anecdotes, throw in a couple of side stories, and maybe even crack a few jokes. It's as if they're doing a dance around an imaginary pot, leaving you curious about when they'll finally spill the beans.

"Tourner autour du pot" literally translates to "turn around the pot."  Figuratively, it implies avoiding the main point or beating around the bush during a conversation.

Origin

While the exact origin of this expression remains somewhat unclear, several theories attempt to shed light on it.  A plausible origin traces back to a medieval pastime involving participants tossing a ball, referred to as the "pot," in a circular fashion. The person successfully catching the ball earned the privilege to speak, while others had to listen. If one wished to abstain from speaking, avoiding the pot became essential. Hence, the expression "tourner autour du pot" could metaphorically signify sidestepping the ball, symbolizing the act of evading a particular subject.

An alternate theory associates the expression with cooking. In times not too distant, prior to the advent of modern kitchen appliances, cooking was a time-consuming endeavor. Ingredients were stirred or turned around a pot for hours. The evolution of this expression might be rooted in the visual imagery of stirring the pot long before the meal is ready, paralleling the notion of sidestepping the main point in a conversation.

Regardless of its precise origin, the expression has become a common way to describe someone who is opting for a detour instead of tackling the main issue head-on.

Examples

Il a passé toute la réunion à tourner autour du pot sans jamais aborder le sujet principal.
He spent the entire meeting beating around the bush without ever addressing the main topic.

Quand on l'a interrogée sur son absence, elle a commencé à tourner autour du pot au lieu de donner une réponse claire.
When she was questioned about her absence, she started beating around the bush instead of giving a clear answer.