Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DODGE, v.i. [doj; from some root signifying to shoot, dart or start, and not improbably from the same root as dog, as d is not radical.]

1. To start suddenly aside; to shift place by a sudden start. – Milton.
2. To play tricks; to be evasive; to use tergiversation; to play fast and loose; to raise expectations and disappoint them; to quibble. – Hale. Addison.