[sur-kuh
m-loh-kyoo-shuhn] 
| 1. | a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea. |
| 2. | a roundabout expression. |
| cir·cum·lo·cu·tion (sûr'kəm-lō-kyōō'shən) n.
[Middle English circumlocucioun, from Latin circumlocūtiō, circumlocūtiōn-, from circumlocūtus, past participle of circumloquī : circum-, circum- + loquī, to speak; see tolkw- in Indo-European roots.] cir'cum·loc'u·to'ri·ly (-lŏk'yə-tôr'ə-lē, -tōr'-) adv., cir'cum·loc'u·to'ry (-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj. |
Roundabout speech or writing: “The driveway was not unlike that military training device known as an obstacle course” is a circumlocution for “The driveway resembled an obstacle course.” Circumlocution comes from Latin words meaning “speaking around.”