Definition

1. Verb:

   • To eat and run without paying: The primary meaning of "ăn quỵt" is to consume food or drink at a restaurant, cafe, or similar establishment and then leave without paying the bill.
   • To swindle out of a meal: More broadly, it can mean to deliberately cheat someone by consuming something promised or owed without providing compensation.

2. Noun (concept):

   • The act of dining and dashing: The behavior or instance of defrauding an establishment by leaving without payment after eating.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hai thanh niên đó định ăn quỵt ở quán của tôi. (Those two youths tried to dine and dash at my restaurant.)
  • Anh ta đã mời cả nhóm đi ăn rồi ăn quỵt. (He invited the whole group for a meal and then swindled them by not paying.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is specific to the context of food, drink, or hospitality services. It implies a deliberate, deceitful act rather than an accidental oversight.
• It can be used figuratively in very casual speech to describe getting out of any small, agreed-upon obligation, though this is less common.

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn chịu (v): To eat/drink on credit, with an agreement to pay later. This is the legitimate opposite of "ăn quỵt."
  • Ông chủ quen nên cho tôi ăn chịu. (The owner knows me, so he let me put it on tab.)

Synonyms

• To dine and dash: (idiomatic) To leave a restaurant without paying.
• To bilk: To evade payment, especially for a meal or service.
• To defraud: To illegally obtain something (like a meal) through deception.

Related Idioms

• While "ăn quỵt" is itself an idiomatic phrase, it is not typically part of a larger Vietnamese idiom. Its meaning is contained within the phrase itself.