leg-bail

A prisoner gives leg-bail by climbing over the prison wall.

Definition

Noun: "leg-bail" refers to the act of escaping or fleeing, especially to avoid capture or legal consequences. It is an informal or archaic term.

Usage Examples

• (He escaped swiftly on foot.)
• (They fled to avoid arrest.)

Advanced Usage

• "to give leg-bail": to escape or run away.
  • The suspect gave leg-bail the moment he saw the patrol car. (He fled immediately.)

Variants and Related Words

• Leg (n): the limb used for walking; also used in compounds like "leg-work" (physical effort).
• Bail (n): the temporary release of a prisoner on security; also "to bail out" (to escape a situation).

Synonyms

• Escape: to break free from confinement or danger.
• Flight: the act of running away.
• Flee: to run away from a threat or pursuer.

Phrasal Verbs

• Leg it: (informal) to run away quickly.
  • We had to leg it when the dog chased us. (We ran away fast.)

Related Idioms

• Show a clean pair of heels: to flee or escape.
  • The thief showed a clean pair of heels and vanished into the crowd. (He escaped swiftly.)
• Take to one's heels: to run away.
  • The children took to their heels when they saw the angry farmer. (They ran off.)