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Umschreibung

paraphrase, circumlocution

noun UM-shry-bung Rare
Communication Speech

Also means

rewriting

Usage Note

Umschreibung in the speech sense means saying something indirectly by using different words — a paraphrase. Das ist nur eine Umschreibung für ... — that is just another way of saying ... Common in rhetoric and grammar discussions about Umschreibungen (paraphrases).

Examples

"'Nicht ganz die Wahrheit sagen' ist eine Umschreibung für lügen."

Natural Translation

'Not telling the whole truth' is a paraphrase for lying.

Literal Translation

'Not quite the truth say' is a paraphrase for lying.

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