An idiom uses figurative rather than literal meaning, such as “dance around the truth” meaning to avoid speaking openly or evading the truth. The only way to understand idiomatic expressions is through exposure in conversation, as literal definitions do not necessarily convey the actual meaning. Dancing around the truth implies evasion and insincerity, often due to something to hide or avoid.
An idiom is a phrase that uses a figurative meaning rather than a literal meaning to convey a point. In other words, one cannot deduce the meaning of an idiomatic phrase by examining individual words and their meanings. One of these expressions is “dance around the truth. There is literally no dancing or any physical movement. Instead, it means avoiding speaking openly and sincerely or evading the truth by lying.
The only way to deduce the meaning of an idiomatic expression is to expose yourself to it in ordinary conversation. Since the literal meaning of individual words does not necessarily bear any bearing on the actual meaning of the sentence, one cannot simply infer the meaning by examining the literal definitions of the words; one would come to an inaccurate conclusion using this method. For example, the phrase “dance around truth” would otherwise imply that one is physically dancing around an object labeled “truth.” This is obviously an inaccurate assessment of the sentence, since truth is a concept rather than an object.
Therefore, to understand it, it is necessary to examine the imagery and figurative meaning of the sentence. If someone is dancing, it implies creative movement; if they do it around the concept of truth, it means they are getting close to the truth but are instead evasive and sidestep the problem to avoid the truth. If someone tries to get around it, it’s often implied that the truth might implicate that person in a negative way.
Dancing around the truth also implies that the speaker is insincere or secretive. You don’t do this when you are blunt and direct; instead, it is done when there is something to hide, or some other motivation to avoid the actuality of a given situation.
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