Scrimshanking

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Avoiding assigned tasks by skulking about or pretending to be busy, a habit especially associated with soldiers and sailors
2. The act of dodging work or duty by lurking out of sight, long used as British military slang for idling
3. Evading one's responsibilities through idle loitering and feigned activity, particularly in naval and army life

Etymology: Scrimshanking is military slang for shirking duty by dodging work through feigned illness, idling, or finding ways to avoid tasks. The term is most closely tied to the British armed forces, where a "scrimshanker" was a man who skulked out of his share of the work. Its origin is not settled. One proposed explanation blends "scrimp" with "swanker," a slang word from British public schools for a boy who worked hard, so the two halves would pull in opposite directions: one who does as little as possible, shaped partly by a word for one who does a great deal. The blend is plausible on paper, but the link between the two words is not firmly documented, so it remains a hypothesis rather than a established fact.

Synonyms: shirking, malingering, skiving, dodging, slacking

Antonyms: working, toiling