song and dance

American  

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.

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song and dance British  

noun

1. a fuss, esp one that is unnecessary

2. a long or elaborate story or explanation, esp one that is evasive

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song and dance Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of song and dance

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

As Pope Leo arrived, rhythmic music blared from loudspeakers with inmates breaking into song and dance under the stern gaze of prison officers.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Characters tend to break into song and dance, and plots are often over the top.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Lately my ritual is as soon as I get up and brush my teeth and wash my face, I will put on a song and dance to it and do some stretching.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

Linda and her therapist normally have their patient-practioner song and dance down to a science.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

Sprouts taste of fresh puke but Mum said I had to eat five without making a song and dance about it, or there'd be no butterscotch Angel Delight for pudding.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell