To leave quickly. The origin of this expression is obscure, even though it is relatively recent (twentieth century). Since about 1600 a powder has meant “a hurry,” possibly derived from the speed of gunpowder. “Ile sett you in with a powder,” that is, with a rush, appears in a play, Club Law (ca. 1600), by an unknown writer. This meaning persisted well into the nineteenth century, mainly in Britain. In the 1920s, however, in popular literature, characters departing in haste were said to take a runout powder. P. G. Wodehouse used it in Money in the Bank (1942), “And have him take a runout powder? Be yourself, lady.” One writer has suggested this might refer to a laxative, but that interpretation seems unlikely. Moreover, the French have a similar expression, Prendre la poudre d’escampette, “To take the scampering powder,” or, in more idiomatic terms, “to bolt.”