Lesser Known Literary Terms: Circumlocution

Sometimes you just wish someone would say what they mean. No frill, no dancing around the topic, no circumlocution. While this device can improve a story when used carefully and sparingly, too much circumlocution can lose your reader and make reading more tedious than fun. Use circumlocution to have your characters dance around a subject, avoid stating something, provide an important hint, persuade the audience, or amplify humor.