What does eschew (from The Pickwick Papers) mean?
Eschew is a verb that means to keep away from something that is harmful or disliked; to shun, avoid; or to abstain from. The noun form is eschewal.
In The Pickwick Papers, Mr. Pickwick meets Bob Sawyer, an uncouth but charming young man:
He wore a pair of plaid trousers, and a large, rough, double-breasted waistcoat; out of doors, he carried a thick stick with a big top. He eschewed gloves, and looked, upon the whole, something like a dissipated Robinson Crusoe.