The long way around
Meaning
To achieve a goal or reach a destination by an indirect, inefficient, or unnecessarily complicated method or route.
Origin
Imagine a traveler in an ancient, untamed land, journeying through dense forests or across vast, featureless plains. Their destination lies directly ahead, a beacon on the horizon. But then, an impassable river, a treacherous mountain range, or a hostile territory blocks the obvious path. To reach their goal, they have no choice but to deviate significantly, embarking on a wide, sweeping detour—"the long way around." This literal experience of a forced, inefficient journey, where the direct path is denied, became a universal human frustration. Over time, the physical trek transformed into a metaphor for any task or explanation that could be simple but is made needlessly complex. The phrase captures that timeless annoyance of inefficiency, reflecting how we often find ourselves detouring through unnecessary steps when a direct route is unavailable or ignored.
Examples
- We could try to fix the old engine ourselves, but that feels like taking the long way around when we could just buy a new one.
- Instead of answering directly, he always takes the long way around, explaining every minor detail before getting to the point.