Feign illness to avoid work (5,3,4)

I believe the answer is:

swing the lead

(Other definitions for swing the lead that I've seen before include "Invent specious excuses to evade duties" , "Malinger (colloq.)" , "Malinger -- make excuses" , "as a carefree dog walker might?" , "slack" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times, the L.A. Times Daily, The Washington Post and the Universal.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.