shoot the crow—(sl.)
1. depart hurriedly; make off:
- There’ll only be his mother in the house. His father shot the crow years ago.
2. sneak off without paying:
- A canny Scot was sentenced to ten days’ hard for shooting the crow—ordering whiskey and neglecting to pay.
stone the crows—(sl., also: stone me) is used as an exclamation of surprise, etc.:
- “Stone the Crows!,” shouted Peter Grant, when he first heard this splendid young Scottish band roaring into action.