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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of song and dance
There was also a song and dance number about the contenders’ notoriously long running times, as well as an appearance by a hoodie-wearing Adam Sandler.
—
Jordan Moreau, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
Barney & Friends, which was produced from 1992 to 2009, was a childhood staple and introduced viewers to Barney, an imaginary and perpetually optimistic tyrannosaurus rex that teaches lessons about friendship through song and dance.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Lee’s followers deemed her the female Jesus Christ, and her worshippers prayed through song and dance, hence her story getting the musical biopic treatment.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
This is all a familiar song and dance: Ambitious ideas about reducing health care spending quickly run into political reality, which includes heavy backlash from the health care industry.
—Caitlin Owens, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Jordan Moreau, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
Barney & Friends, which was produced from 1992 to 2009, was a childhood staple and introduced viewers to Barney, an imaginary and perpetually optimistic tyrannosaurus rex that teaches lessons about friendship through song and dance.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025
Lee’s followers deemed her the female Jesus Christ, and her worshippers prayed through song and dance, hence her story getting the musical biopic treatment.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
This is all a familiar song and dance: Ambitious ideas about reducing health care spending quickly run into political reality, which includes heavy backlash from the health care industry.
—Caitlin Owens, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
-
His rhetoric is dramatically changing the U.S. relationship with the world.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Musk has faced criticism for his aggressive rhetoric toward international actors and interference with politics both home and abroad, culminating in his failure to secure a Republican victory at the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Of course, there’s a lot more rigmarole involved when selling on the secondary market, including sellers’ fees, but that gap between the valuations is wide.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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But not as weird as the rigmarole of the music industry.—
Justin Curto,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As always, Yellowjackets is full of mind-bending detours, supernatural gobbledygook, and foliage-laden costumes.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2025
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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
Noun
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But at the heart of it is an army of armchair scientists tapping into the unknown, shattering relaxation boundaries and spewing gibberish all in the hopes that someone out there will tingle.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2025
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While his wife, Mark’s sister Devon, seems to regard her husband’s new-age gibberish with indifference or annoyance, there are people in Ricken’s orbit who can match his freak.—
Samantha Allen,
Them,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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