Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: ragman roll 'document containing a long list, used in a game called "ragman"' (15-18 centuries)

rigmarole

 noun
     
rig‧ma‧role also rigamarole American English [singular,uncountable]
a long confusing process or description:
I don't want to go through the rigmarole of taking him to court.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary