Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to refuse to pay a gambling debt or other bill; to refuse to hand over any sum of money; thus welching n. and adj.

1857		Morning Chron. 8 June 8/3: He got his living by ‘welching’ and taking in the ‘flats’ .
1867		Sporting Life 21 Sept. n.p.: Money which people have been ‘welshed’ out of.
1879		‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ in Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 506: While we was there we saw a scuff, it was a flat that had been welshed.
1886		Sunderland Dly Echo 29 Sept. 4/2: Wm. Winfy was charged with stealing three sums of money at Doncaster races by welching.
1888		J. Runciman Chequers 9: You goin’ to welsh me, are you? You don’t mean to pay that ten bob?
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 1 Jan. 2/3: She flashes out as a star, and drops her author (whom somebody has probably welshed out of his royalty) from the second week.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 13 May. 6/6: The amount of welshing [...] that went on in the Leger Reserve was simply disgraceful.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 58: When a bookmaker takes the knock he must either leave off eating or take to welshing.
1909		I.L. Nascher Wretches of Povertyville 64: When the small bookmaker finds that he would lose heavily in the settlement of bets he ‘welches,’ or disappears, with the stakes.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 July 10/4: Judge Edwards, of M.L., has laid it down that the welshing bookmaker is no worse, legally speaking, than (say) a bank, which, finding business hasn’t panned out as it was expected to, closes its doors.
1925		D. Hammett ‘Tom, Dick, or Harry’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 245: The way it stands the insurance company can welsh on the policies.
1928		W. Winchell Your Broadway & Mine 15 Nov. [synd. col.] The ‘game’ in which the alleged welshing happened.
1930		J. Lait Gangster Girl 8: He had welched on all his debts, straight or crooked.
1936		Newcastle Sun (NSW) 27 May 7/4: S.P. Glossary [...] Taking the knock — Refusing to honour betting obligations, welching.
1938		H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 445: Many of the players gambled on credit, giving I.O.U.’s for their losses and taking them up at regular intervals. Several, however, welshed on these obligations. When Canfield retired he had something like $250,000 in I.O.U.’s.
1944		D. Runyon Runyon à la Carte 94: This means a guy shall not welsh.
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 163: Did I ever welch?
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 52: That was the way it went. Nobody ever welched. Nobody.
1958		F.J. Hardy Four-Legged Lottery 210: The dirty bastard has welshed on us.
1960		H.S. Thompson letter 19 Oct. in Proud Highway (1997) 233: You’re [...] a little ridiculous in implying that I’m welching. Yours is the first debt I shall settle.
1966		‘Tom Pendleton’ Iron Orchard (1967) 109: I never welshed on a deal yet.
1966		J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 117: [S]purred on by thoughts of what the irate punters would do if he welshed, the bookmaker seemed to take wings as he sped over the ground.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 65: Having been welshed by the deputy.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 101: Two bookmakers [...] had welshed on a bet.
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] Fucking everyone in Goyder was welshing on their debts.
1997		S. Bellow Actual 69: I cheated, I stole, and I welshed.
2005		Mad mag. May 45: A [...] deal-renegin, contract welching, business-weasel.
2012		T. Robinson ‘So Long, Johnnie Scumbag’ in Dirty Words [ebook] ‘Jeannie Giammarino told me to remind you that you owe her a grand’ [...] ‘What, she think I was gonna welsh?’.
2018		T. Pluck ‘Hot Rod Heart’ in Life During Wartime 96: ‘Kid here lost his pink slip [...] Now he’s welching’.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 174: Somebody welched on a fucking Super Bowl bet.

2. in fig. use, to let down, to disappoint; thus welching n. and adj .

1890		‘’Arry on [...] the Glorious Twelfth’ in Punch 30 Aug. 97/2: These strikes is becoming rare noosances [...] Mug’s game. They’ll soon find out as the Marsters ain’t going to be worried and welched.
1894		A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets (1983) 109: Everybody can make wot arrangements with ’is feller-men ’e likes for to carry on the business of life, but nothink can’t bind you. You chuck over the arrangement if it suits best [...] They call it welshin’ now.
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 1 May 4/5: Tal S. got well welshed at Oakbank .
1916		J. Lait ‘The Gangster’s Elegy’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 242: A lot o’ welchin’ pups slides out f’m under an’ goes over to where it looks like a soft fall.
1921		Broadway Brevities Dec 42/1: But if they welched on the Saturday-Monday stuff— TWO WEEK’ NOTICE!
1927		(con. 1900s) S. Lewis Elmer Gantry 67: Damned if he’d welsh on old Jim!
1929		‘Ellery Queen’ Roman Hat Mystery 278: He didn’t go around welching on his enemies.
1945		‘Henry Green’ Loving (1978) 98: Now then when they’re entitled to a month’s notice you want to welsh.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 508: When we tell a guy we’ll do a thing, by god we do it. And he can count on it. We dont welch.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 101: Well, had he welshed on himself?
1976		P. Theroux Family Arsenal 204: Araba welshed on you. That’s what you get for trusting the idle rich.
1989		M. Amis London Fields 179: Catastrophic welshings and skankings that caused low whistles even among Keith’s acquaintances.
1991		L. Bing Do or Die (1992) 139: He will keep his end of the deals he cut with Tashay today; if she welches on any of them, he will come down hard on her.
2003		Simon & Pelecanos ‘Bad Dreams’ Wire ser. 2 ep. 11 [TV script] ‘Why did they kill him?’ ‘He was welchin’ on the Jew’.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 124: No one ever mistook me for that punk who shot, raped, snitched on, impregnated, molested, welched, disrespected [...] or fucked over someone’s peoples.

3. (US campus) to reject, to stand aside from, to turn down (all relate to a social engagement).

1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 284: Any one who welshed on the Bumpers was likely to have his Name stricken out of the Social Register.
1922		P.A. Rollins Cowboy 165: These pensioners ‘helped up,’ and thus did all the odd jobs upon which the cook and cowboys welched.
1961		T. Williams Night of the Iguana Act III: I still think you are welching on the bargain.
1981		J. Wambaugh Glitter Dome (1982) 283: He just thought I was getting cold feet and welshing.
1994		P. Baker Blood Posse 228: I hope you ain’t fixing to welsh on me.

4. to renege on one’s words or on a promised action.

1900		T.J. Hains Mr Trunnell Mate of the Ship ‘Pirate’ Ch. i: I never welsh, sir, [...] and as I signed on, so will I work.
1915		Eve. Star (Wash., DC) 6 June 39/1: ‘Say, you ain’t welshin’ on her?’ [...] ‘Welshin’ nothin!’ he cried.
1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 271: They began to ‘welch.’ They didn’t think I had given them ‘an even break.’ They thought I ‘had ’em wrong.’.
1929		M. Levin Reporter 324: Well, the dutchman gets near the top of the ladder and begins to welsh.
1946		H.A. Smith Rhubarb 271: ‘Don’t welsh!’ said the judge.
1952		(con. 1920s) ‘Harry Grey’ Hoods (1953) 163: He never welshed on anything in his life.