play hooky

Idioms  

1. Be absent from school or some other obligation without permission, as in It was such a beautiful day that Herb played hooky from work. In this term, the noun hooky may have come from the phrase hook it, meaning “escape.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

If you can play hooky on a weekday, then do so, because this hike is popular.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2022

"He would play hooky… and tan aggressively. He looked like a Versace bag."

From Fox News • Sep. 28, 2021

We take a weekday in early December, play hooky from our respective jobs, and take a leisurely approach to loading up on gifts.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2015

Snow had closed Leo and Grady’s school both Monday and Tuesday, so they hadn’t gotten to play hooky after all.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2014

“But a good day to play hooky, I suppose. Hey, look, that’s what I’m doing.”

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Related Words

• avoid
• depart
• disappear
• dodge
• elude
• emerge
• evade
• flee
• fly
• leave
• run
• slip
• slip away
• vanish