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
Just stop with this whole song and dance between Kuminga and Steve Kerr.
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The Shakers, as they’ll eventually be named, channel the holy spirit via song and dance.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The Shakers, as they’ll eventually be named, channel the holy spirit via song and dance.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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The post, which Kinlaw appears to have shared on his personal Facebook page and later deleted, contained a graphic with anti-Islamic rhetoric.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
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Between persecution and suspicion These dynamics become especially visible in moments of enforcement, where the gap between political rhetoric and immigration policy comes into sharp relief.—
Candace Lukasik,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There is a lot of rigmarole there that is conveniently hidden when positing this as a common sense thing.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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To think there was ever a world in which Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled out of court, or worse yet, went to court in March of this year so that, by the time this blog post is being written, they might almost be done with the whole rigamarole.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 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
-
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
-
There was a lot of hype about it back then.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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On social media, the Dodgers unveiled their opening day hype video.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Legal gibberish Let’s start with those last two words.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Naturally, Luke and Vader make lightsaber noises and the odd gibberish babble.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
25 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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