end run

[end ruhn]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of end run¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Related Words

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