schnorrer

or shnor·rer

[ shnawr-er, shnohr- ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a person who habitually borrows or lives at the expense of others with no intention of repaying; sponger; moocher; beggar.

schnorrer

/ ˈʃnɔːrə /

noun

1. slang.
   a person who lives off the charity of others; professional beggar

Word History and Origins

Origin of schnorrer¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Yiddish shnorer “sponger, moocher,” equivalent to shnor(n) “to beg” (compare Middle High German snurren “to hum, buzz, whir”); sense “beg” from beggars' custom of playing a small pipe or whistle ( German Schnurrpfeife ) + -er -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of schnorrer¹

Yiddish, from German Schnurrer beggar (who played an instrument), from Middle High German snurren to hum

Example Sentences

Gitl kept rearranging the gifts, making them seem to be twice as numerous, saying again, “Those schnorrers in Viosk will know we honor our own.”

From Literature

As an altar boy growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he heard his first Yiddish word — schnorrer, or freeloader — uttered by Groucho Marx in “Animal Crackers.”

From New York Times

The schnorrer, the pushcart nebbish, the fruit jobber from the docks.

From BusinessWeek

“She should be counting your curls, not her gifts. We will load the chickens in the wagon with the other wedding gifts. Those schnorrers in Viosk will not think we do not honor our own.”

From Literature