ghosting
n.—Gloss: leaving candy at someone’s door, knocking, and then running away before they answer. «In Delafield, Wis., a suburb of Milwaukee, a practice called ghosting is all the rage. In the two weeks leading up to Halloween, neighbors sneak up to houses, ring the doorbell and try to drop off candy without being detected.» —“Where the Jack-o’-Lanterns Are Only the Beginning” by Louise Kramer New York Times Oct. 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
“Ghosting” also conveys stealthy or covert movement, much like “shadowing”. The term is more and more frequently being used in genre fiction, especially action and sci-fi.