Definition

1. Verb:
   • To eat and run; to dine and dash: The primary meaning of "ăn quịt" is to consume food or drink at a restaurant, stall, or similar establishment and then leave without paying the bill.
   • To evade payment; to welsh on a debt: More broadly, it means to intentionally avoid paying money that one owes, such as a debt, fare, or service charge.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hắn ăn quịt một bữa nhậu rồi bỏ trốn. (He dined and dashed on a drinking feast and then ran away.)
  • Khách hàng đó ăn quịt tiền taxi. (That customer evaded paying the taxi fare.)
  • Đừng tin hắn, hắn hay ăn quịt nợ. (Don't trust him; he often welches on his debts.)

Advanced Usage

• The term strongly implies deceit, bad faith, and a lack of integrity. It is not used for legitimate inability to pay but for a deliberate act of cheating someone out of owed payment.
• It is commonly used in commercial and informal financial contexts to describe dishonest customers or partners.

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn quỵt: This is a common alternate spelling of "ăn quịt". The meaning is identical.
  • Nó ăn quỵt tiền cà phê. (He skipped out on paying for the coffee.)

Synonyms

• To welsh: To fail to honor a debt or bet.
• To skip out on the bill: To leave without paying a bill.
• To evade payment: To avoid paying what is due.
• To cheat (someone) out of payment: To deceive to avoid payment.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ăn quịt nợ: To evade paying a debt. This is a very common specific collocation.
  • Công ty đó bị tố cáo ăn quịt nợ của nhà cung cấp. (That company was accused of welshing on its debt to the supplier.)

verb

1. to eat without paying; to evade paying
   • ăn quịt nợ
     to evade paying one's debt