end run

American  

[end ruhn] / ˈɛnd ˈrʌn /

noun

1. Also called end sweep,.  Also called sweep.  Football. a running play in which the ball-carrier attempts to outflank the defensive end.

2. Informal.

   1. an evasive or diversionary maneuver.

   2. an attempt to surmount a difficulty without confronting it directly.

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end run Idioms  

1. Evasive action, as in The new department head was making an end run around the old hands who opposed her appointment. This term comes from American football, where it denotes an offensive play in which the ball carrier runs around one end of the opposing team's line. [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of end run

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

Who made an audacious end run around protocol to give the president some really bad news?

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is an end run,” said Shira Scheindlin, the former federal judge who issued the ruling that led to the federal consent decree.

From Salon

But the proposal garnered fierce early opposition from some local leaders, concerned the group was making an end run around the planning process, as well as environmental groups concerned about the loss of natural habitat.

From Los Angeles Times

The company’s lawsuit thus amounts to an end run around the law.

From Los Angeles Times

John Spinks, an early chief of the Office of Endangered Species, was aware that some of his staff would make end runs around the bureaucracy.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• baffle
• bamboozle
• circumvent
• deceive
• outdo
• outfox
• outmaneuver