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take an indirect route

[/teɪk ən ɪnˈdɪrɛkt ruːt/]
verb phrase
tomar um caminho indireto
1. to travel by a longer or more circuitous path instead of the most direct way
We decided to take an indirect route to avoid the traffic on the highway.
Decidimos tomar um caminho indireto para evitar o trânsito na rodovia.
2. to use an unconventional or roundabout method to achieve a goal
She took an indirect route to convince her boss by gathering support from colleagues first.
Ela tomou um caminho indireto para convencer seu chefe reunindo apoio dos colegas primeiro.
NYC Slang
take the long way around
Synonyms
take a roundabout routego the long way aroundtake a circuitous pathgo via a longer route
Antonyms
take a direct routetake the shortest routego straighttake a shortcut

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
tomar um caminho indireto
most common usage across Brazil
São Paulo
dar a volta
informal colloquial expression
Rio de Janeiro
fazer uma volta maior
common informal variant
Portugal
tomar um caminho indireto
standard usage in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

go around in circles
beat around the bush
take the scenic route
go by way of
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