˜yÐÄvlog

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View synonyms for

song and dance

noun

  1. a story or statement, especially an untrue or misleading one designed to evade the matter at hand:

    Every time he's late, he gives me a song and dance about oversleeping.



song and dance

noun

  1. a fuss, esp one that is unnecessary
  2. a long or elaborate story or explanation, esp one that is evasive
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of song and dance1

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
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Idioms and Phrases

An elaborate story or effort to explain and justify something, or to deceive and mislead someone. For example, Do you really believe his song and dance about the alarm not going off, being stopped for speeding, and then the car breaking down? or At every annual meeting the chairman goes through the same song and dance about the company's great future plans . This term originally referred to a vaudeville act featuring song and dance. [Late 1800s]
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"For a marriage to be perfected under Zulu custom, there has to be a public gathering, with song and dance," Prof Xulu said.

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As the scheming masterminds, Gaga and Beyoncé poison Gibson and every other inhabitant of the diner they're in, all while breaking into song and dance amid a scene of seemingly lifeless bodies.

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Through song and dance, she recounted President Cyril Ramaphosa's life story and history, blending tradition with a personal touch.

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Yoon's supporters, who have been camped out in front of the presidential residence for days, cheered in song and dance as the suspension was announced.

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It's why they break out into song and dance.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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