indecisive or evasive treatment, especially in response to a request:
Ask for a raise and he'll give you the runaround.
2.
Printing. an arrangement of type in which several lines are set in narrower measure than the others in a column to accommodate an illustration, initial, or the like.
Origin
1870-75, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase run around
Synonyms
1. dodge, evasion, slip.
Examples from the web for runaround
After getting the runaround over the phone, he was directed to go to the airport ticket counter.
Frequent complaints result in bureaucratic runaround with absolutely no changes.
runaround loops are ideal for situations in which the intake and the exhaust are separated.
No more getting the runaround when you call about your loan.
Word Origin and History for runaround
n.
also run-around, "deceptive, evasive treatment," 1915, from verbal phrase, from run (v.) + around (adv.).