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...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...
“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.