panhandler

noun; informal, chiefly North American

- a person who stops passers-by in the street, on the subway or at traffic lights and begs from them

- someone who accosts passers-by, especially in the street, to ask for money

- a person who asks people for money in a public place; often felt to be mildly derogatory

Dictionary.com, Collins English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The everyday panhandle, meaning the handle of a pan, is recorded from the mid-19th century. Americans soon used it for a narrow strip of territory sticking out from a state, and the earliest geographical use refers to the strip of Virginia (now West Virginia) between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The begging sense came later. Panhandle as a verb meaning "to beg" appears around 1888–90. Panhandler follows in 1893, and the OED's earliest example comes from the New York Times.

Nobody knows for certain how the leap happened. One theory points to the beggar's arm held out like a pan handle. Another says the word described someone holding out a pan or tin cup for coins. Some dictionaries think the verb was formed backwards from the noun.

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THE MATCHSELLER LOOPHOLE

In 1930s London, asking a stranger for twopence could land you in jail. Holding a tray of matches made you a tradesman.

George Orwell described this distinction in Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). Begging could mean seven days behind bars; selling matches or singing in the street counted as business. He called these activities “legalized crimes”.

Then he turned the argument around. A beggar works too: standing outside in all weathers, risking bronchitis. His offence isn’t idleness. It’s choosing a trade in which nobody gets rich.

Orwell’s uncomfortable point still lands. We often feel happier giving someone money when something comes back—even a box of matches we don’t need.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

beggar, cadger (Brit. informal), mendicant (formal), moocher (US informal), PANHANDLER, street beggar

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today. Say something like:

“Entrepreneurial PANHANDLERS put QR codes on their sign, so 'Sorry, I've no cash' doesn't work any more."

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