song and dance
- 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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Origin of song and dance
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for song and dance
Contemporary Examples
The purpose of the evening is clear enough in its format: The majority of the show is about song-and-dance numbers from musicals.
I wanted to discuss the last scene, and the decision to send off Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) with a song-and-dance.
John Slattery on the ‘Mad Men’ Midseason Finale, Roger Sterling’s Power Move, and ‘God’s Pocket’Marlow Stern
May 26, 2014
The Oscar host's song-and-dance about actresses' breasts was a big fail, says the famed attorney.
She was also the unquestionable star of the two song-and-dance sequences in this Indo-American mega production.
One has certain expectations of the exemplars of American manhood, among them that they will not do song-and-dance numbers.
Historical Examples
She did more now, in addition to the bike: a song-and-dance turn.
The Bill-ToppersAndre Castaigne
She does the song-and-dance business with comedy variations.
The Adventures of a WidowEdgar Fawcett
But this was after he had formed a partnership with James Mackin, with whom he toured the country as one of a song-and-dance team.
He is thus as far removed as possible from Grieg and the song-and-dance men of recent time.
Musical CriticismsArthur Johnstone
And rather than hear that song-and-dance again, I gave myself thirty seconds to think.
Nor Iron Bars a Cage....Gordon Randall Garrett
song and dance
- British a fuss, esp one that is unnecessary
- US and Canadian a long or elaborate story or explanation, esp one that is evasive
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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
Idioms and Phrases with song and dance
song and dance
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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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.