runaround

[ruhn-uh-round]

noun

1. indecisive or evasive treatment, especially in response to a request.

   Ask for a raise and he'll give you the runaround.

   Synonyms: slip, evasion, dodge

2. Printing.,  an arrangement of type in which several lines are set in narrower measure than the others in a column to accommodate an illustration, initial, or the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of runaround¹

1870–75, noun use of verb phrase run around

Idioms and Phrases

see get the runaround.

Example Sentences

Wyatt’s interiority, shy smile and young Jeff Tweedy vibe makes him immediately the most intriguing Runaround.

From Los Angeles Times

A character trying to get to the bottom of her neighbor’s disappearance at the Ministry’s records office is instructed to obtain a form from Information Adjustments and bring it to Information Retrieval, which subject her to an endless runaround.

From Los Angeles Times

The runaround, as we would call it.

From Los Angeles Times

We received the runaround for many years.

From Los Angeles Times

People generally use “Kafkaesque” as an exaggerated metaphor, perhaps to describe the runaround you get from an insurance company or an especially aggravating trip to the DMV.

From Salon