skive
verb, nounInformal
A British English slang term. Browse all British slang.
What it means
To avoid work or school by slipping away; to shirk. Often skive off.
In use
He skived off school for the whole afternoon.
Working from home is not an excuse to skive.
Where it comes from
Entered English through soldiers in the First World War, plausibly from French esquiver, 'to dodge'.
First attested: 1910s
Other forms
- Similar terms:
- bunk off