as in rigamarole
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions
instead of simply denying our request, the mayor's representative gave us a song and dance about legal issues and municipal liability
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Recent Examples of song and dance
Lee–one of the rare female religious heads at the time– and her followers worshipped through exuberant song and dance.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
Employees Only With a late license and a reputation for song and dance, this is a useful name to have in the address book.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
The camera is liberated (via CGI) in the song and dance numbers, but everything else is filmed in a basic, boring fashion, the background melting into a dim, unfocused blur behind the actors.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
Add in some live song and dance numbers, naturally.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance 
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
Employees Only With a late license and a reputation for song and dance, this is a useful name to have in the address book.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
The camera is liberated (via CGI) in the song and dance numbers, but everything else is filmed in a basic, boring fashion, the background melting into a dim, unfocused blur behind the actors.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
Add in some live song and dance numbers, naturally.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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The rhetoric echoed his previous justification for the pullout: that the agreement imposed unfair economic burdens on the U.S. while allowing other countries, like China, to continue polluting.—
Nik Popli,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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Fourteen years after their initial passage, the record is clear: contrary to the rhetoric, New York’s sanctuary laws have proven to be potent crime fighting tools.—
Peter L. Markowitz,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Is there a company that prides itself on an absence of rigmarole?—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
22 July 2024
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Last season’s nail-biting seven-game battle was famously known as the I-80 series because both teams opted for the approximately 90-minute (depending on traffic) bus ride rather than the rigmarole of a short flight.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacramento Bee,
16 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Apologies to the Lois Lane stans out there, but Adams is mostly on hand in these movies to deliver stern gobbledygook (something about isotopes?) and stare at Henry Cavill’s cheekbones.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
6 Dec. 2024
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So, of course, their stony-eyed dedication to taking this inspirational gobbledygook seriously has gone viral.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The pressure of the moment led Ferrell to spurt out total gibberish in his telling — and his flub was so bad that SNL boss Lorne Michaels paid him a visit backstage.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
12 Jan. 2025
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Let Us Show You How GPT Works — Using Jane Austen An interactive demonstration of how large language models work, from gibberish to complete sentences.—
The Upshot Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2024
Articles Related to song and dance
Thesaurus Entries Near song and dance
Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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