Circumlocution: the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive. Verbatim: in exactly the same words as were used originally. Ventriloquism: an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) changes his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere. Pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning (e.g. see with one's eyes ), either as a fault of style or for emphasis.