"the Byzantine tax structure""convoluted legal language""convoluted reasoning""intricate needlework""an intricate labyrinth of refined phraseology""the plot was too involved""a knotty problem""got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering""Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott"tortuous legal procedures""tortuous negotiations lasting for months"
2. marked by repeated turns and bends;
"a tortuous road up the mountain""winding roads are full of surprises""had to steer the car down a twisty track"