Legal Definitions - welshing

Definition: The act of avoiding an obligation, especially a gambling debt. It can also refer to the act of cheating and defrauding someone by receiving a deposit to be paid back with additional money depending on the outcome of an event, but then absconding with the money instead.

Although some people believe that this term is a slur against those from Wales, its origin is actually unknown according to authoritative dictionaries.

Examples:

• He promised to pay back the money he owed, but he ended up welshing on the debt.
• The welsher took the deposit and disappeared, leaving the depositor with nothing.

These examples illustrate how welshing involves avoiding an obligation or cheating someone out of their money.