to elude or evade by a sudden shift of position or by strategy: to dodge a blow; to dodge a question.
2.
Also, hold back.Photography. (in printing) to shade (an area of a print) from exposure for a period, while exposing the remainder of the print in order to lighten or eliminate the area (sometimes followed by out ). Compare burn1( def 45 ).
verb (used without object)
3.
to move aside or change position suddenly, as to avoid a blow or get behind something.
4.
to use evasive methods; prevaricate: When asked a direct question, he dodges.
noun
5.
a quick, evasive movement, as a sudden jump away to avoid a blow or the like.
6.
an ingenious expedient or contrivance; shifty trick.
7.
Slang.a business, profession, or occupation.
Origin: 1560–70; of obscure origin
Related forms
out·dodge, verb (used with object), out·dodged, out·dodg·ing.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
1560s, origin and sense evolution obscure, perhaps akin to Scottish dodd "to jog." Meaning "person's way of making a living" is from 1842. Common from early 18c. in figurative sense of "to swindle, to play shifting tricks." Related: Dodged; dodging.
n. a swindle; a scam; a deception. : What sort of dodge did you get flimflammed with?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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