shuffle off

1. Get rid of, act evasively, as in They've tried to shuffle off public inquiries about the safety of their planes. This usage, dating from about 1600, also appears in the oft-quoted shuffle off this mortal coil, from Shakespeare's Hamlet (3:1), where it means "become freed from the turmoil of life," that is, "die."

2. Move away reluctantly, dragging one's feet, as in The prisoners shuffled off to their work detail. [Late 1500s]

shuffle off

1. To go with short sliding steps, without or barely lifting the feet: The sleepy children shuffled off to bed.

2. To leave; depart: Toward the end of the evening, the guests shuffled off one by one.

3. To rid oneself of something; dispose of or relocate something: I have not been able to shuffle off my embarrassment. The computer program automatically shuffles the outdated files off to another disk.

4. To evade or shirk something, such as a responsibility: He shuffled off his responsibilities and went to the beach. She shuffled her work off onto others because she wasn't feeling well.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Felip	-	Catalan
Masami	mah-sah-mee	Japanese
Gaios	-	Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek
Amadi (1)	-	Western African, Igbo
Epona	-	Celtic Mythology
Santuzza	-	Italian