circumlocution

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cir·cum·lo·cu·tion / ˌsərkəmˌlōˈkyoōshən/ • n. the use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive: his admission came after years of circumlocution | he used a number of poetic circumlocutions. DERIVATIVES: cir·cum·loc·u·to·ry / -ˈläkyəˌtôrē/ adj.

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