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
At first, Elsbeth watches Retta and her co-horts belt out the lyrics and move around her, before it’s revealed just how the song and dance routine is taking place.
—
Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 6 May 2025
Molina’s stories are portrayed in colorful song and dance.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Marc, never again will there be our little outbursts of song and dance.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 3 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 6 May 2025
Molina’s stories are portrayed in colorful song and dance.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Marc, never again will there be our little outbursts of song and dance.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 3 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
-
Real patriots pay no heed to such undemocratic, childish rhetoric.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 July 2025
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While democratic Taiwan has long been used to those threats, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the increasingly shrill rhetoric from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and conflict in the Middle East have thrown into sharp relief what could be at stake if peace falters.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
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 1 Aug. 2025.
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