éviter
White flags were distributed to the french by the UN
(se) taire is to keep (oneself) silent, to avoid speaking, in French.
the huguenots :)
Common mistakes to avoid when installing a French drain include improper slope, inadequate gravel or fabric, incorrect placement of the drain pipe, and insufficient depth of the trench.
to avoid confrontations with the French
I reckon it is Dawn French (of Vicar of Dibley)
The desire to stay out of the entangling aliances of France and England
In French Guiana, French is spoken. The country's official name is Guyane. But it also is called Guyane française, to avoid confusion with [former British] Guyana.
Faking illness to avoid work is called malingering. It comes from the French word, malingre which means sickly. Someone who does this is called a malingerer.
to avoid confrontations with the French
This is a matter of language use in non-French speaking countries. It is probably that way to avoid confusion with the other Guianas (there were five separate colonies from different European countries). To the French, French Guiana is simply La Guyane.
Because that heeded George Washington's advice to avoid involvement in European affairs.