The phrase "got on a technicality" means that someone has managed to avoid punishment or escape responsibility due to a minor detail or loophole in the rules. To describe this situation, one could use various synonyms such as 'skated', 'escaped', 'evaded', 'dodged', 'snuck through', or 'slipped by'. Each of these expressions conveys the idea of someone getting away with something using a technicality or a minor detail that others might overlook. It's important to remember that using technicalities to escape consequences can be problematic and unethical, particularly when done deliberately and with malicious intent.