Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

roundabout

2 adjective
     
roundabout2 [only before noun]
1 a roundabout way of saying something is not clear, direct, or simple [= indirect; ≠ direct]
roundabout way/fashion
It was a roundabout way of telling us to leave.
2 a roundabout way of getting somewhere is longer and more complicated than necessary:
The bus took a very long and roundabout route.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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