ENGLISH
REFERENCE

merry dance

idiom
Meaning

A useless waste of time resulting from a deception.


Examples
SIMPLE

The store sent me on a merry dance to find a refund.

CONTEXTUAL

The clerk sent me on a merry dance across the city, only to tell me the item was out of stock.

COMPLEX

After the bureaucracy led him on a merry dance through countless departments, he realized they had no intention of ever approving his request.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    dance attendance

    To wait obsequiously (on or upon someone).

  2. 02

    dance of the seven veils

    A striptease performance.

  3. 03

    dance on nothing

    To be hanged.

  4. 04

    dance on someone's grave

    To celebrate a person's death or downfall triumphantly.

  5. 05

    dance with the devil

    To engage in risky and immoral behavior.

  6. 06

    fan dance

    The incremental disclosure of tantalizing bits of information.

  7. 07

    go on one's merry way

    To depart.

  8. 08

    kick and Prance

    [Cockney slang]dance

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