Hypertext Webster Gateway: "roundabout"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Roundabout \Round"a*bout`\, a.
1. Circuitous; going round; indirect; as, roundabout speech.
We have taken a terrible roundabout road. --Burke.
2. Encircling; enveloping; comprehensive. ``Large, sound,
roundabout sense.'' --Locke.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Roundabout \Round"a*bout`\, n.
1. A horizontal wheel or frame, commonly with wooden horses,
etc., on which children ride; a merry-go-round. --Smart.
2. A dance performed in a circle. --Goldsmith.
3. A short, close jacket worn by boys, sailors, etc.
4. A state or scene of constant change, or of recurring labor
and vicissitude. --Cowper.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
roundabout
adj 1: marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct;
"the explanation was circuitous and puzzling"; "a
roundabout paragraph"; "hear in a roundabout way that
her ex-husband was marrying her best friend" [syn: {circuitous}]
2: deviating from a straight course; "a scenic but devious
route"; "a long and circuitous journey by train and boat";
"a roundabout route avoided rush-hour traffic" [syn: {devious},
{circuitous}]
n 1: a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a
central island; "the accident blocked all traffic at the
rotary" [syn: {traffic circle}, {circle}, {rotary}]
2: large mechanical apparatus with seats for children to ride
on [syn: {carousel}, {carrousel}, {merry-go-round}, {whirligig}]
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