panhandler

Meanings

Noun

a beggar who approaches strangers asking for money
One who panhandles; an urban beggar who typically stands on a street with an outstretched container in hand, begging for loose change or money.

Origin / Etymology

Obscure. Speculative. Panhandling always seems to involve a container for receiving loose change, so perhaps the term refers to a small handled pan, or to the container as the pan and the arm(s) holding it as the handle.
Alternatively, possibly from the notion that the shape of one's outstretched arm in relation to a seated or squatting beggar brings to mind the image of a panhandle.

Scrabble Score: 16

panhandler is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
panhandler is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
panhandler is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

panhandler is a valid Words With Friends word