Dodge, v. t. 1. To
evade by a sudden shift of place; to escape by starting aside; as, to
dodge a blow aimed or a ball thrown.
2. Fig.: To evade by craft; as, to
dodge a question; to dodge responsibility.
[Colloq.] S. G. Goodrich.
3. To follow by dodging, or suddenly shifting
from place to place. Coleridge.
Dodge, n. The act of evading by
some skillful movement; a sudden starting aside; hence, an artful
device to evade, deceive, or cheat; a cunning trick; an
artifice. [Colloq.]
Some, who have a taste for good living, have many
harmless arts, by which they improve their banquet, and innocent
dodges, if we may be permitted to use an excellent phrase that
has become vernacular since the appearance of the last
dictionaries.
Thackeray.Dodge (?), v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Dodged (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Dodging.] [Of uncertain origin: cf. dodder, v.,
daddle, dade, or dog, v. t.] 1. To
start suddenly aside, as to avoid a blow or a missile; to shift place
by a sudden start. Milton.
2. To evade a duty by low craft; to practice
mean shifts; to use tricky devices; to play fast and loose; to
quibble.
Some dodging casuist with more craft than
sincerity.
Milton.