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détour

detour, roundabout way

noun deh-TOOR Rare

Usage Note

détour refers to a physical deviation from a direct route, but also figuratively to an indirect approach in speech or reasoning. Sans détour means 'straight to the point, directly.' The phrase valoir le détour (to be worth the detour) is commonly used to recommend a destination.

Examples

"Nous avons fait un détour pour éviter les embouteillages."

Natural Translation

We took a detour to avoid traffic jams.

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