disappearing act

plural disappearing acts

1. A sudden disappearance; the act of leaving unexpectedly.

   Onions do a disappearing act as they cook, shrinking about 80 percent of their volume.

   2001, Richard Azzolini, There's a Chef in Your Freezer

   2 more examples

   He suggested that we do a disappearing act some morning as soon as we got to the woods and he would make sure that the alarm would not be given […]

   1982, William Repka, Dangerous Patriots: Canada's Unknown Prisoners of War

   It was a remarkable climax to a match that ended with another of those disappearing acts from John Terry only to re-emerge, in full kit, so he could climb the steps, shake the hands of Eusébio, Michel Platini and all the other dignitaries, then help Frank Lampard to lift the trophy.

   15 May 2013, Daniel Taylor, “Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic climbs highest to sink Benfica”, in The Guardian