as in rhetoric
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
New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and what's a more Nashville way to ring in 2026 than through song and dance?
—
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a dead body or two, a frothy song and dance number and absurd plot twists aplenty.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
As the education ministry announced the grades for tens of thousands of high school students like Doaa, there was a buzz in the air as Palestinians set off fireworks and embraced in song and dance.
—Kareem El Damanhoury, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The film depicts her establishment of the utopian society while the Shakers worship with song and dance.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a dead body or two, a frothy song and dance number and absurd plot twists aplenty.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
As the education ministry announced the grades for tens of thousands of high school students like Doaa, there was a buzz in the air as Palestinians set off fireworks and embraced in song and dance.
—Kareem El Damanhoury, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The film depicts her establishment of the utopian society while the Shakers worship with song and dance.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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The rhetoric intensified Friday as GOP lawmakers responded to the attacks in Michigan and Virginia by urging a halt to all immigration into the United States.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Republican lawmakers intensify anti-Muslim rhetoric, with one saying that ‘Muslims don’t belong in American society,’ drawing Democratic condemnation and GOP silence.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Now, there’s a bit of rigmarole in getting that price, which includes (according to Google Translate) nabbing a time-specific coupon worth $286 and trading in your old phone.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Everyone was perfectly lovely and perfectly tepid about going through the whole rigamarole again.—
Lauren Bans,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Meaningless gobbledygook to an outsider, yet powerful to those who know how to wield those sounds properly.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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But the hype for that game – Michigan native Draymond Green’s homecoming – pales in comparison to their next two opponents.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Kyle Schwarber became the team’s de facto hype man, making a speech on at least one bus ride to and from the ballpark.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Imagine designing a system that conforms to that gibberish, or the ensuing court battles.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
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In Anthropic’s experiments, as few as 250 malicious documents were enough to induce AI models to output gibberish.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Driving the news: The statement was published only in English on the Facebook page of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office — potentially another case of double-talk by Netanyahu.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
27 Sep. 2024
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The GOP Senate candidate in Arizona, whose brand is a combative, never-back-down MAGA politics, has adopted a position on the issue that is nearly indistinguishable from that of double-talking Democrats.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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