Scrimshanking, often considered a colloquialism, refers to the act of avoiding or shirking one's duties, especially in a work or task-oriented environment. It embodies a subtle form of laziness, where an individual strategically minimizes effort, finds ways to get out of doing work, and evades responsibility without directly confronting authority or causing significant disruption. The term suggests a level of cunning and resourcefulness in finding loopholes or exploiting weaknesses in the system to escape work, sometimes involving delaying, or pretending to work, when in reality, little to no work is being done. It paints a picture of cleverness and resourcefulness in avoiding obligations. It is similar to skiving or goldbricking. It's not the outright refusal to work. It's more of a calculated approach to reduce work done to the bare minimum. The term can be used in more relaxed scenarios or with the connotation of playfulness.
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