song and dance

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song and dance

n. pl. song and dances or songs and dances
1. A theatrical performance that combines singing and dancing.
2. Slang
a. An excessively elaborate effort to explain or justify.
b. An elaborate story or explanation intended to deceive or mislead.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

song and dance

n
1. Brit a fuss, esp one that is unnecessary
2. US and Canadian a long or elaborate story or explanation, esp one that is evasive
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

song′ and dance′


n. Informal.
an extended, often self-justifying explanation that may be irrelevant or untrue.
[1870–75, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.song and dance - theatrical performance combining singing and dancing
performance, public presentation - a dramatic or musical entertainment; "they listened to ten different performances"; "the play ran for 100 performances"; "the frequent performances of the symphony testify to its popularity"
2.song and dance - an interesting but highly implausible story; often told as an excuse
cock-and-bull story, fairy story, fairy tale, fairytale
fib, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tale, story - a trivial lie; "he told a fib about eating his spinach"; "how can I stop my child from telling stories?"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

song and dance

noun (Brit. informal) fuss, to-do, flap (informal), performance (informal), stir, pantomime (informal), commotion, ado, shindig (informal), kerfuffle (informal), hoo-ha, pother, shindy (informal) He used his money to help others - but he never made a song and dance about it.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
References in periodicals archive ?
Pat Shaw (1917-77) was one of the foremost composers and collectors of folk songs and dances of the twentieth century.
Resources in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library: the Pat Shaw Archive
The contests involved folk songs and dances in addition to camel and horse racing.
Traditional folk songs, dance a fading art in Oman
Constantinidis considerably enriched the piano repertoire with numerous works: Sonatina (1927); 22 Songs and Dances from the Dodecanese (1943-1946); 44 Children's Pieces on Greek Melodies (Greek Miniatures) (1950-1951); First Sonatina (on folk melodies from the island of Crete) (1952); Second Sonatina (on folk melodies from Epirus) (1952); Third Sonatina (on folk melodies from the Dodecanese) (1953); 8 Dances from Greek Islands (1954) (arranged for two pianos in 1971); and 6 Studies in Greek Rhythms (1956-1958).
44 Children's Pieces on Greek Melodies by Yannis Constantinidis: a Masterpiece of Mikrokosmic proportions
'We take young people who have dropped out of school, unemployed people, people from prison and we teach them traditional songs and dances,' says Huata.
Changing the temperature
Old traditions, songs and dances (mostly of Congo and Dahomey origin) evolved and mixed with elements of Arawak (indigenous Haitian Indian) and French culture to form a new, uniquely Haitian dance expression.
Haitian dance: movement rooted in ritual & tradition: feel the beat of this ancient healing practice with Ellen Bleier
The first was a lengthy, absorbing narrative; the second, a suite of traditional songs and dances.
Monsters and Celebrations
Elders share the songs and dances that they know and guide the younger dancers.
Lights in the northern landscape: Alaska's tiny Bethel hosts a wondrous indigenous dance festival
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