rigmarole

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The Word of the Day for March 28 is:

rigmarole   \RIG-uh-muh-rol\   noun
      1 : confused or meaningless talk
    *2 : a complex and sometimes ritualistic procedure

Example sentence:
      Instead of going through the rigmarole of filling out deposit and 
withdrawal slips, waiting in line, and explaining her transactions to the bank 
teller, Lauren usually finds it simpler to use the ATM.

Did you know?
      In the Middle Ages, the term "Rageman" or "Ragman" referred to a game in 
which a player randomly selected a string attached to a roll of verses and read 
the selected verse. The roll was called a Ragman roll after a fictional king 
purported to be the author of the verses. By the 16th century, "ragman" and 
"ragman roll" were being used figuratively to mean "a list or catalog." Both 
terms fell out of written use, but "ragman roll" persisted in speech, and in 
the 18th century it resurfaced in writing as "rigmarole," with the meaning "a 
succession of confused, meaningless, or foolish statements." Only in the last 
century did "rigmarole" (also spelled "rigamarole," reflecting its common 
pronunciation) acquire its most recent sense, "a complex and ritualistic 
procedure."  

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.




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