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
The Red Sox and Bregman will have another song and dance to play after the update from the New York Post's Jon Heyman that the third baseman reportedly opt-out of his contract to reenter free agency.
—
Tim Crowley, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Lipa is a straight shooter; all song and dance sans melodrama, the show reminiscent of Christina Aguilera’s 2006-2008 Back to Basics Tour.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
During the closing Neilah service after night has fallen, the practice concludes with the cries of the Shema prayer before the congregation erupts into song and dance.
—Krys'tal Griffin, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The song and dance competition will feature three competitors — Sapphire Martini, Bloody Mary and April Spritz.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Tim Crowley, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Lipa is a straight shooter; all song and dance sans melodrama, the show reminiscent of Christina Aguilera’s 2006-2008 Back to Basics Tour.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
During the closing Neilah service after night has fallen, the practice concludes with the cries of the Shema prayer before the congregation erupts into song and dance.
—Krys'tal Griffin, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The song and dance competition will feature three competitors — Sapphire Martini, Bloody Mary and April Spritz.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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While Petro repeatedly promoted the idea of a return to Gran Colombia, his right-hand man, Benedetti played down the president’s rhetoric.—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
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For executives who depend on cross-border production and financing, the rhetoric adds another layer of uncertainty.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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So there are all those questions and rigmarole.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
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No rigamarole or bureaucracy to navigate.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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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How to Watch UConn vs UMass Lowell The Huskies come into this one as heavy favorites, riding the momentum of an opening-night win and plenty of preseason hype.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
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While hype typically mounts around the release of Starbucks' holiday menu and collection, some people are saying they were let down by the lack of availability of the Bearista cup.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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The strategy always involves the same ingredients: The message, called the plaintext, gets distorted (the encryption) so that anybody who intercepts it sees only garbled gibberish (the ciphertext).—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
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 12 Nov. 2025.
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