do a runner
To flee or quickly leave a place, usually so as to get out of paying for something or to avoid trouble or the law. Primarily heard in UK. The teenagers did a runner as soon as the cab stopped, leaving the driver to foot the bill. The young man, unintelligible with drink, did a runner when the police went up to question him. A: "We can't just do a runner!" B: "Well, we both forgot our wallets, so what other choice do we have?"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
do a runner
BRITISH, INFORMALCOMMON If someone does a runner, they leave a place in a hurry, especially in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something. At this point, the accountant did a runner — with all my money.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
do a runner
leave hastily, especially to avoid paying for something or to escape from somewhere. British informal 1997 Iain Sinclair Lights Out For The Territory Nobody seemed to know if the absentee landlord had done a runner.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
do a ˈrunner
(British English, informal) leave or escape from somebody/a place, often after doing something wrong: He stole all the money in the office and did a runner. ♢ ‘What happened to his wife?’ ‘She did a runner. Nobody’s seen her for months.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017