skedaddle

Everyday

1. (informal, playful) To skedaddle is to run away quickly, often because you are frightened or caught. tree →
2. (informal) To leave a place in a hurry. tree →

In the lessons

A funny, lively word used in stories and in family talk: «Now skedaddle, all of you!» It tells the reader the escape is fast and a little comic. It came into English in the USA in the 1860s and is used in the UK, Australia and elsewhere too.

Examples

• When the farmer shouted, the boys skedaddled over the fence. tree →
• «Skedaddle! Your dinner's getting cold,» said Mum. tree →
• The mice skedaddled when the cat came in. tree →
• We'd better skedaddle before the rain starts. tree →
• The weasels skedaddled when Badger burst into the hall. tree →
• The thief skedaddled with the cake. tree →

Note

Regular verb: skedaddled, skedaddling. Informal; not for formal essays — there use «flee» or «run away». Spelling: double d.