Word of the day, shirk, as in the worship of foreign, alien, and false gods, from the Arabic. In English 1630s, "to practice fraud or trickery, live by one's wits," also a noun (1630s) "a needy, disreputable parasite" [OED], of uncertain origin. Perhaps from German schurke "scoundrel, rogue, knave, villain".

Both older senses are obsolete. The meaning "go evasively or slyly, slink, sneak away" is from 1580s; hence that of "evade one's work or duty," recorded by 1785, originally slang or colloquial. It also was used by 1787 in the sense of "evade (someone), avoid meeting, dodge.

This started when I saw the Trump fashioned as fool's gold idol on his private golf course. At least Obama didn't gild his bronze lily self in gold. Still, they're both shirkers, gnome sane, both embodiments of the profanation of power.