Definition:
The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to avoid getting to the point. Contrast with conciseness. See also:
Etymology:
From the Latin, "talk around"Examples and Observations:
- "[Federal Reserve Chairman Alan] Greenspan went on to suggest raising the retirement age, though he slipped it in using his customary circumlocution: 'Another possible adjustment relates to the age at which Social Security and Medicare benefits will be provided. Under current law, and even with the so-called normal retirement age for Social Security slated to move up to 67 over the next two decades, the ratio of the number of years that the typical worker will spend in retirement to the number of years he or she works will rise in the long term.'
"In other words people are just living too long."
(Dan Ackman, "The Passion Of The Fed Chairman," Forbes, February 26, 2004) - "No public business of any kind could possibly be done at any time without the acquiescence of the Circumlocution Office. . . . Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art of perceiving--HOW NOT TO DO IT."
(Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit) - "Mr. Ahmadinejad's habit of answering every question about Iranian policy with a question about American policy was clearly wearing on some of the members, but at the end they acknowledged that he was about as skillful an interlocutor as they had ever encountered. 'He is a master of counterpunch, deception, circumlocution,' Mr. Scowcroft said, shaking his head. Mr. Blackwill emerged from the conversation wondering how the United States would ever be able to negotiate with this Iranian government."
(David Sanger, "Iran's Leader Relishes 2nd Chance to Make Waves," The New York Times, September 21, 2006)
Pronunciation: sir-kum-low-KYU-shun
Also Known As: periphrasis
