Question

Take a Powder to leave quickly; to sneak or run out of a place

Accepted Answer

He saw the teacher he'd had an argument with in the restaurant, so he took a powder. Many people were using this expression in the United States by 1925. Earlier, they said, "dust out of here" or "take a run-out powder" to mean to depart in a rush. The "dust" in the earlier saying referred to the dust kicked up by one's shoes in running away. The expression may have changed to "powder" because of the explosiveness of gunpowder. If you flee so you won't get caught for something, you're "taking a powder."

Idiom	Take a Powder
Example	He saw the teacher he'd had an argument with in the restaurant, so he took a powder.
Meaning	to leave quickly; to sneak or run out of a place
Origin	Many people were using this expression in the United States by 1925. Earlier, they said, "dust out of here" or "take a run-out powder" to mean to depart in a rush. The "dust" in the earlier saying referred to the dust kicked up by one's shoes in running away. The expression may have changed to "powder" because of the explosiveness of gunpowder. If you flee so you won't get caught for something, you're "taking a powder."

Powder Expression Teacher He'd Argument Restaurant Leave Quickly