(See also DEPARTURE.)
fly the coop To escape, as from a prison; to depart suddenly, often clandestinely. In this expression, coop is slang for a prison or any other confining place, literal or figurative. Thus, while the phrase is commonly applied to prison escapes, it is sometimes used to describe a child who has run away from home or an employee who quits suddenly because of the pressures and restrictions of his job.
give leg bail To run away; to escape from confinement on foot. Literally, bail is the surety, often provided by a third party, which allows a prisoner temporary liberty. In this rather droll expression, however, the prisoner is only indebted to his legs for his escape from custody.
I had concluded to use no chivalry, but give them leg-bail instead of it, by … making for a deep swamp. (James Adair, History of the American Indian, 1775)
give the guy To give someone the slip, to escape; also to do a guy and to guy ‘to run away, to decamp.’ Although of unknown origin, guy in these phrases means ‘a decampment, a running off on the sly.’ All three of these British slang expressions date from the late 19th century.
give the slip To elude or to escape from a person; to steal away or slip away unnoticed. Slip as an intransitive verb meaning ‘to escape or get away’ dates from the 14th century; transitive use dates from the 16th century. No explanation for the change to the substantive in give the slip is very plausible. One possibility is that the expression derives from the nautical slip which means ‘to allow the anchor-cable to run out when trying to make a quick getaway.’ Another theory suggests that the expression alludes to the image of an animal “slipping” its collar in order to run free. Neither theory is convincing, however, since it is difficult to determine accurately which use came first.
on the lam Escaping, fleeing, or hiding, especially from the police or other law enforcement officers. This popular underworld slang expression, in use since at least 1900, first received general acceptance and popularity during the 1920s. Lam probably derives from the Scandinavian lemja ‘to beat’ or, in this case, ‘to beat it, flee.’ A similar expression is take it on the lam.
He plugged the main guy for keeps, and I took it on the lam for mine. (No. 1500, Life in Sing-Sing, 1904)
show a clean pair of heels To escape by superior speed; to outrun; to run off; also show a fair pair of heels or a pair of heels. This expression, in use since 1654, is said to have derived from the ancient sport of cockfighting. Since Roman times gamecocks have fought wearing heels or metal spurs. If a rooster ran away instead of fighting, he was said to have shown his rival a clean pair of heels, since his spurs were unsullied by the blood of combat.
The verb escape has several meanings. For some of these meanings, it is a transitive verb. For others, it is an intransitive verb.
If you escape a situation that is dangerous, unpleasant, or difficult, you succeed in avoiding it.
If you cannot escape a feeling or belief, you cannot help having it.
If you escape from a place where you are in danger, you succeed in leaving it.
If you escape from a place such as a prison, you get out of it and are free.
If you escape when someone is trying to catch you, you avoid being caught.
Get away can be used with the same meaning.
| Imperative |
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| escape |
| Noun | 1. | escape - the act of escaping physically; "he made his escape from the mental hospital"; "the canary escaped from its cage"; "his flight was an indication of his guilt"running away - the act of leaving (without permission) the place you are expected to be evasion - the act of physically escaping from something (an opponent or a pursuer or an unpleasant situation) by some adroit maneuver breakout, gaolbreak, jailbreak, prisonbreak, prison-breaking, break - an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned" lam, getaway - a rapid escape (as by criminals); "the thieves made a clean getaway"; "after the expose he had to take it on the lam" skedaddle - a hasty flight |
| 2. | escape - an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through diversion or fantasy; "romantic novels were her escape from the stress of daily life"; "his alcohol problem was a form of escapism" diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation" | |
| 3. | escape - nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive" negligence, nonperformance, carelessness, neglect - failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances escape mechanism - a form of behavior that evades unpleasant realities malingering, skulking - evading duty or work by pretending to be incapacitated; "they developed a test to detect malingering" circumvention - the act of evading by going around | |
| 4. | escape - an avoidance of danger or difficulty; "that was a narrow escape" avoidance, shunning, turning away, dodging - deliberately avoiding; keeping away from or preventing from happening | |
| 5. | escape - a means or way of escaping; "hard work was his escape from worry"; "they installed a second hatch as an escape"; "their escape route" | |
| 6. | escape - a plant originally cultivated but now growing wild | |
| 7. | escape - the discharge of a fluid from some container; "they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe"; "he had to clean up the leak" | |
| 8. | escape - a valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure reaches a dangerous levelregulator - any of various controls or devices for regulating or controlling fluid flow, pressure, temperature, etc. valve - control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid | |
| Verb | 1. | escape - run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison" break away, break out, break - move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security" escape from, shake off, throw off, shake - get rid of; "I couldn't shake the car that was following me" elude, evade, bilk - escape, either physically or mentally; "The thief eluded the police"; "This difficult idea seems to evade her"; "The event evades explanation" slip - move smoothly and easily; "the bolt slipped into place"; "water slipped from the polished marble" run away - escape from the control of; "Industry is running away with us all" |
| 2. | escape - fail to experience; "Fortunately, I missed the hurricane" avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her" | |
| 3. | escape - escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a forbidden action; "She gets away with murder!"; "I couldn't get out from under these responsibilities" evade - use cunning or deceit to escape or avoid; "The con man always evades" avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her" | |
| 4. | escape - be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by; "What you are seeing in him eludes me" | |
| 5. | escape - remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for pleasure or diversion; "We escaped to our summer house for a few days"; "The president of the company never manages to get away during the summer" escape, get away, break loose - run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison" | |
| 6. | escape - flee; take to one's heels; cut and run; "If you see this man, run!"; "The burglars escaped before the police showed up"fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, lam, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods, turn tail, run, bunk, break away go forth, leave, go away - go away from a place; "At what time does your train leave?"; "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at midnight" skedaddle - run away, as if in a panic | |
| 7. | escape - issue or leak, as from a small opening; "Gas escaped into the bedroom" |