Meaning & use
Skiving
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Avoiding work, school, or duty by staying away without permission, often while pretending illness; also, shaving or paring a thin layer from a material such as leather.
See it in a sentence
He got caught skiving off work to go to the football match.
The craftsman spent an hour skiving the edge of the leather to make it thinner for stitching.
A note on using this word
Chiefly British informal in the 'avoiding work' sense; the leatherworking sense comes from a separate, older root related to splitting or dividing.
Words with a similar meaning
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Another way to use it
2. verb
Paring or shaving a thin layer from leather or another material.
Skiving the leather made it easier to fold along the seam.
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