Synonyms:
fiddle, shirk, shrink_from, goldbrick
Meaning: avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties"
Usage examples
I've shirked and put off, but I can't shirk and put off any longer.
Don't shirk the hottest part of the field; that isn't being brave.'
They were never allowed to be disobedient or to shirk lessons or work; and they were encouraged to have all the fun possible.
But he should, at the same time, brave the responsibility of declaring that, in his opinion, he understands their principles better than they did themselves; and especially should he not shirk that responsibility by asserting that they "understood the question just as well, and even better than we do now."