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
Kids will take a trip in song and dance to Miss Jamie’s Farm at 10:30 a.m. on July 19.
—
Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
Hodgson, after hearing a podcast episode about Operation Mincemeat, was the first to imagine the twisted heist in song and dance.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 May 2025
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and more beloved characters will line the streets with song and dance.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 17 May 2025
Just in time for the real-life Eurovision Song Contest, the TARDIS takes a detour to the 2925 version of the annual song and dance jamboree.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
Hodgson, after hearing a podcast episode about Operation Mincemeat, was the first to imagine the twisted heist in song and dance.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 May 2025
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and more beloved characters will line the streets with song and dance.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 17 May 2025
Just in time for the real-life Eurovision Song Contest, the TARDIS takes a detour to the 2925 version of the annual song and dance jamboree.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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Concerns over antisemitic rhetoric and vandalism didn’t even tighten the race.—
Sara Forman,
New York Daily News,
8 July 2025
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Trump also targeted Canada in his rhetoric, suggesting the country could become the 51st state in the U.S.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Rather than directly discounting the TV by £200, Samsung is likely hoping that some people will be put off by the rigmarole of going through the claims process.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.—
John Semley,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Bob Kring DeBary Congressional bill is full of greed The Great Big Beautiful Bill reads like 950 pages of of gobbledygook distilled into four words: Greedy, stingy, mean and short-sighted.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
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The six-episode limited series feels like a long movie broken into arbitrary episodes, its ending is mired by digital gobbledygook, and Marvel still doesn’t know how magic makes sense in a universe ruled by advanced technology and literal gods.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Today's teen slang might seem like complete gibberish, but you may be surprised by how many terms echo phrases from the past.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
3 June 2025
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Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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