skip bail

skip bail

To intentionally not appear in court after having been released on bail, which is a security paid to allow one to avoid imprisonment until one appears in court. Failing to appear results in the forfeit of one's bail. The worst thing you could do is skip bail—then you'll be a fugitive and everyone will think you're guilty.
See also: bail, skip
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

skip bail

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.
See also: bail, skip
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • cooking for one
  • as one door closes, another (one) opens
  • as one door closes, another opens
References in periodicals archive
"However, there is a handful of people who skip bail and fail to appear when they should.
Police in appeal to help find suspects who missed court; SEARCH IS ON TO TRACK DOWN THE BAIL BANDITS
Yes, it seems Moz really is capable of leaving the flat after all as he and Jenny prepare to skip bail and head for Portugal.
Moz is off to a place in the sun; Comedy
"I am committed to bringing people who skip bail or fail to pay fines to justice.
PAY UP OR YOU ARE GROUNDED; Police enforce fines at airport
"If the police, who we fund through our taxes, cannot catch suspects who skip bail, private bail bond companies should be brought in."
Criminal slip as Met loses 4,000 suspects
PEOPLE who skip bail are usually a "hardcore criminal element", according to a Coventry policeman.
Police on trail of bail bandits; CRACKDOWN: 'Hard-core criminal element' targeted
The new measures, which were backed by police, include raising jail sentences for defendants who skip bail. Drug treatment and testing orders could also become a bail condition.
LABOUR IN BRIGHTON: Bail laws shake-up 'fails Rory
Operation Turn-Up is part of a national push to reduce the numbers of offenders who skip bail or who have warrants outstanding against them.
523 who skip bail arrested
"The blitz was a demonstration of our `zero tolerance' of bail bandits - those people who skip bail and don't turn up at court when they should.
Raids net more bail dodgers
Today the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, announced a crackdown on "bail bandits" - offenders who skip bail.
pounds 1m waste of failed court cases
In fact, Ms McIntyre attended each and every Court hearing and did not attempt to abscond or skip bail at any time.
Jacqueline McIntyre
Turn-up targets those who skip bail by missing court appearances.
No Christmas rest for the wicked... STAFFORDSHIRE: Purge ordered on bail and fine dodgers - with threat of jail
From July officers will be allowed to enter homes of suspected fine dodgers and defendants who skip bail.
A fine mess
The crackdown will let uniformed officers enter homes of suspected fine dodgers and defendants who skip bail. They will track down defaulters, using the police national computer, in a bid to end criticism that payment of fines in many areas is 'almost voluntary'.
New search powers in unpaid fines crackdown
FUGITIVES who skip bail are being targeted by police in Coventry.
Police offensive on bail jumpers
DEFENDANTS who skip bail in North Wales are facing a tough crackdown as North Wales Criminal Justice agencies join forces for ``Operation Turn-up''.
Operation to blitz the bail jumpers