dodge the column

From column in the sense of "a body of troops or army vehicles, usually strung out along a road."

dodge the column (third-person singular simple present dodges the column, present participle dodging the column, simple past and past participle dodged the column)

1. (chiefly UK, informal, figuratively) to avoid doing work.

• swing the lead

• “dodge the column” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.