Is there a good substitute for the word "scarper" in American English?


I used quick, let's scarper before the boss comes back to inject some levity into a recent meeting, but got only blank stares for my trouble. When asked to explain scarper to my American chums, all I could think of was you know, as in "scarper lads, it's the filth", i.e. run away quickly before the police catch you, but run away quickly really doesn't convey the essence of this truly useful word. Is there a good American English equivalent?


Note: it is difficult to convey the exact context. Imagine high school kids (not the good ones) deciding to try and evade the deans, or maybe a bunch of dropouts or low-level criminals about to get caught breaking in.



Answer



Depending on the age and ethnicity of your co-workers, "bounce" may work quite well in this context.


The urban dictionary's most popular definition (warning: potentially offensive link) lists "bounce" as:



v. to exit a location/situation.



I think it has a similar connotation to "scarper" to some groups in the US, although not all groups use this term.


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