🔄 Delaying action 🏃 A hectic time 🙄 Evasive or vague

runaround

12 6.4

A series of answers or actions that delay help

noun
/ˈrʌnəˌraʊnd/

Informal

: trato evasivo

I've had enough of this runaround from customer service; I just want a straight answer.
get the runaround
given the runaround

I'm in and I am not giving you the runaround.

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Examples

I'm sorry your school and district are giving you the runaround.

Blog text (4)
The nurses keep giving us the runaround.

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Are you giving me the runaround, kid?

Black Rainbow (1989)
Were you giving me the runaround a few minutes ago?

The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)
That guy is giving me the runaround.

Scarface (1932)
I'm just getting the runaround, you know?

Stalker (2010)
They gave me the runaround for two hours before they allowed me to talk to anyone.

Super 8 (2011)
I've had enough of this runaround.

Ratpocalypse (2015)
They just gave me the runaround.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
I called the 'Reader's Digest' customer service line and was given the complete runaround.

Blog text (4)

Synonyms

stonewalling

vsrunaround

Literature

7 8.2

Refusing to answer questions or help to delay progress

uses indirect evasive tactics rather than outright refusal

indirection

vsrunaround

2 8.8

Saying or doing things in a roundabout way instead of being direct

focuses on delaying or preventing direct answers or help rather than simple indirectness

Antonyms

straightforward answer

1 3.1

A clear, simple reply that is honest and easy to understand

direct support

3.6

Help given by a company or maker straight to a customer

How Helpful

solution

∞ 2.1

assistance

947 1.0

runaround

Informal

12 6.4

obstruction

222 4.8

Surface Forms

runaround singular

runarounds plural

Morphology

runaround = run (semi-transparent) = around + run

Though composed of 'run' + 'around', the noun sense 'evasive or delaying action' is an idiomatic extension of the literal motion sense and requires pragmatic knowledge to infer. [Postprocessing: moved 'around' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Runaround as a noun for evasive behaviour comes from the same image of being sent to run 'to move' around 'in circles' by people who delay you, so a runaround is a delaying action that stops you getting a clear answer.