E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Dodge (1 syl.).
An artful device to evade, deceive, or bilk some one. (Anglo-Saxon, deogian, to conceal or colour.)
1
The religious dodge. Seeking alms by trading on religion.
2
The tidy dodge. To dress up a family clean and tidy so as to excite sympathy, and make passers-by suppose you have by misfortune fallen from a respectable state in society.
