Phrasal verb
skate around
Definition
phrasal verb. to avoid talking about a difficult subject or problem directly. You use this when someone is being careful not to mention the most important or sensitive part of a topic.
phrasal verb. to avoid dealing with or discussing a matter directly, typically because it is difficult, sensitive, or contentious. The verb is transitive and functions as a figurative extension of physical skating.
Examples
“Stop skating around the issue and tell me the truth.”
“During the press conference, the politician tried to skate around the questions regarding the new tax laws.”
“The report merely skates around the underlying structural failures of the company, focusing instead on superficial quarterly gains.”
Examples
simple
“Stop skating around the issue and tell me the truth.”
contextual
“During the press conference, the politician tried to skate around the questions regarding the new tax laws.”
complex
“The report merely skates around the underlying structural failures of the company, focusing instead on superficial quarterly gains.”
Usage
Usually takes an object like 'the issue', 'the problem', or 'the question'.
Teaching tip
Contrast with 'address' or 'confront'; the physical metaphor of gliding past something without touching it helps students visualize the avoidance.
Pitfall
He skated around of the problem.
He skated around the problem.
The phrase is a transitive phrasal verb where the object follows 'around' directly without an extra preposition like 'of'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
around
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
skate + around + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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