take a powder
idiomatic phraseDefinition of take a powder
US, informal + somewhat old-fashioned
: to leave hurriedly
It is the players and incoming recruits who are most affected when a coach abruptly takes a powder.— Jack McCallum The beavers put up with this, Fair explains, until the surrounding population reached 250 families, and then the beavers took a powder.— Gregory Jaynes This is the worst extinction phase the planet has experienced since dinosaurs took a powder about 65 million years ago. — The Lompoc (California) Record
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“Take a powder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20powder. Accessed 5 May. 2021.
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The first known use of take a powder was in 1911
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