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end run

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end run

An evasive or diversionary action or maneuver around some obstacle or difficulty. An allusion to a play in American football, in which the carrier of the ball runs wide to evade the defensive line. Many wealthy citizens try to perform an end run around their country's tax laws by filtering their money in offshore accounts.

See also: end, run

end run

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]

See also: end, run