escamoter

to conjure away, to make disappear; to snatch, to nick; to evade, dodge; to skip (a word, question, etc.); to retract (landing gear)

“Ce petit accident, joint à la perte d’environ quarante sequins que m’avoit escamoté cet aimable compagnon de débauche, rompit tout-à-coup la douce harmonie de nos cœurs ; & notre désunion fut aussi prompte, que notre liaison l’avoit été.”

Probably from an old form of Occitan escamotar, from escamar, from Latin squāma (“scale [of a fish]”). Compare Italian squamare (“to scale”). Alternatively from Spanish escamotar, from Latin excommutare.