Avoid date in Rome blocking advance? (8)
I believe the answer is:
sidestep
'avoid' is the definition.
(sidestepping is a kind of avoiding)
'date in rome blocking advance?' is the wordplay.
'date in rome' becomes 'ides' (I've seen this before).
'blocking' is an insertion indicator.
'advance?' becomes 'step'.
'ides' placed within 'step' is 'SIDESTEP'.
(Other definitions for sidestep that I've seen before include "Dodge (an issue?)" , "To avoid" , "Dodge - circumvent" , "Shift to right or left" , "Find a way round" .)