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
Employees Only With a late license and a reputation for song and dance, this is a useful name to have in the address book.
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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
Instead, we are given Gomez singing karaoke with a cowboy and Saldana bursting into song and dance during a random gala.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance 
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
Instead, we are given Gomez singing karaoke with a cowboy and Saldana bursting into song and dance during a random gala.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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In this upcoming moment of truth for Illinois, the speaker has the opportunity to give power to that rhetoric, which many on the GOP side don’t believe for a minute.The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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However, much of the rhetoric online around looters seems steeped in racist sentiment.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 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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Given this strange combination—Iron Guard nostalgia and Russian trolls plus the sort of wellness gibberish more commonly associated with Gwyneth Paltrow—who exactly are the Georgescus?Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
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Bernie spoke gibberish to investors when talking about his strategies.Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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