To skedaddle means to leave quickly, especially when you want to avoid trouble or escape from something unpleasant. If your mom calls you for chores right when you're in the middle of a game, you might try to skedaddle out the back door before she spots you. When a cat knocks over a vase, it usually skedaddles before anyone sees what happened.

The word has a playful, almost comical sound that matches how it's used. You don't skedaddle to catch a bus or make it to class on time: you skedaddle when you're making a quick getaway. Picture a group of kids sneaking cookies, then skedaddling when they hear footsteps approaching.

Today, it's a lighthearted way to describe any hasty exit. “We'd better skedaddle before it starts raining” sounds much more fun than “we should leave now,” even though they mean roughly the same thing.