skirts around
Avoids going through
To skirt around something is to avoid it by going along its edge rather than through it.
A path skirts around a lake; a driver skirts around traffic.
More often the phrase is figurative—evading a topic, rule, or difficulty without confronting it directly: He skirted around the question of his whereabouts.
The "around" is optional; skirt alone carries the same meaning.
- evadeEscape by cunning
- dodgeAvoid by quick movement
- subtletyFine distinction, easily missed
- euphemismMild substitute for bluntness
- detourAlternate path around obstruction
elude · circle · omit · ambiguity · glosses over · skates over · implication · vagueness · meander · loop · innuendo · orbit · bypass · circumlocution · insinuation · sidestep · navigate · veer
skirts aroundconfronts
Addresses a problem directly
tackles · faces · deals with · takes on · addresses
skirts aroundgoes through
Experiences or traverses
passes through · cuts through · traverses · crosses · penetrates