to go all around the Wrekin
- idiom
- Archaic
:
dar vueltas innecesarias
- No need to go all around the Wrekin; just tell me what happened.
Examples
-
He tends to go all around the Wrekin instead of getting to the point.
-
She began to go all around the Wrekin before finally answering the question.
-
If you keep going all around the Wrekin, we'll never finish this discussion.
-
Don't go all around the Wrekin!
-
If you keep going all around the Wrekin, we'll never reach a conclusion on this topic.
-
There's no need to go all around the Wrekin; just state your opinion directly.
-
During the meeting, she started to go all around the Wrekin instead of addressing the main issue.
Synonyms
119
4.7
To avoid dealing with a problem by using a different method
115
4.2
Avoid doing something difficult or needed by finding a clever way
76
3.5
Find another way to avoid a difficult rule or task
15
4.9
To avoid answering a question or dealing with a problem directly
1
6.0
To avoid answering a difficult question by changing the subject
To avoid saying something directly by talking a long time before answering
To take a long, unnecessary route to reach a place or answer
Antonyms
How Direct
1
3.7
- Archaic
- Informal
17
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
go + all + around + the + Wrekin
The literal parts 'go', 'all', and 'around' make the basic idea of taking a long or circuitous route relatively inferable, so a learner who knows the words could guess a physical detour. However, the expression uses a specific place name (Wrekin) and has an extended idiomatic sense of avoiding the main issue that is regionally British and not fully predictable from the constituents, so full comprehension is unlikely without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom go all around the Wrekin comes from the image of someone walking all the way around a big hill called the Wrekin instead of going straight over it. That's why it means 'to take a long way' or 'to avoid saying the main point'.