skip bail

Idioms and Phrases

Also, jump bail . Fail to appear in court for trial and thereby give up the bail bond (paid to secure one's appearance). For example, I can't afford to skip bail—I'd lose half a million , or We were sure he'd jump bail but he finally showed up . This idiom uses skip and jump in the sense of “evade”. The first dates from about 1900, the variant from the mid-1800s. Also see make bail .