to panhandle
7
7.5
- verb
- /ˈpænˌhændl/
- Informal
:
pedir limosna
- "I won't have you panhandling on the church steps."
- panhandling in the street
He was he was panhandling on the street.
- He was he was panhandling on the street.
- So they're either panhandling or they're homeless by choice because they just they can't conform to those restrictions that our society has put on people.
Examples
-
Have you ever been in a big city and had someone really aggressively panhandle?
Blog text (16) -
I don't want to see my son panhandling, so I give him money.
-
Didn't I tell you never to come panhandling around here, huh?
-
I lost my friends, and ended up, literally, panhandling in the streets on Sunset Boulevard.
-
Studies show that tourists, heterosexual couples on dates, and women are more likely to be panhandled.
Blog text (31) -
He's been on the street for four months and tries to panhandle enough each day to get a room at a North Philly rooming house for the night.
Blog text (24) -
He decided to panhandle near the subway station to buy some food.
-
After losing his job, he had no choice but to panhandle on the street corner.
-
They would often panhandle at busy intersections during the weekends.
Synonyms
153
1.0
Ask someone humbly for money or food, often in public
3
4.4
To request small amounts of money from people on the street
1
8.2
To ask strangers on the street for money
1
8.8
To ask people for money by showing you need it
Phrasal Verbs
How Often
- Informal
- Informal
12
8.5
- Informal
7
7.5
153
1.0
98
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
panhandle = panhandler (opaque) = pan + handle
The verb is historically related to 'panhandler', but the begging sense is not a predictable or standard meaning derived from 'pan' + 'handle'.
Etymology
A helpful way to remember the verb panhandle is to imagine someone holding out a pan or hat to collect coins from people on the street. So to panhandle is to 'ask for money' in public places.