Rigamarole is a messy, complicated process that takes longer than it should. The rigamarole involved in getting your driver’s license might make it tempting to just keep riding your bike.

The word rigamarole, which is also spelled rigmarole, is a great way to describe bureaucratic procedures like paying taxes or registering for college classes, or lengthy tasks like helping a small child put on boots, mittens, a coat, and a hat before leaving the house on a snowy day. You can also use it to mean “a long, rambling story:” “He went into the rigamarole of how he’d pulled himself up by his boot straps.”