cadge

¹ American  

[kaj] / kædʒ /

verb (used with object)

cadged, cadging

1. to obtain by imposing on another's generosity or friendship.

2. to borrow without intent to repay.

3. to beg or obtain by begging.

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verb (used without object)

cadged, cadging

1. to ask, expect, or encourage another person to pay for or provide one's drinks, meals, etc.

2. to beg.

cadge ² American  

[kaj] / kædʒ /

noun

Falconry.

1. a frame on which hawks are carried to the field.

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cadge British  

/ kædʒ /

verb

1. to get (food, money, etc) by sponging or begging

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noun

1. a person who cadges

2. informal engaged in cadging

Other Word Forms

• cadger
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cadge¹

1275–1325; perhaps to be identified with Middle English caggen to tie, of uncertain origin

Origin of cadge²

First recorded in 1605–15; apparently variant of cage

Explanation

To cadge is to plead or beg for something. A hungry child might cadge an extra cookie from her dad while he's baking. When you cadge something, you wheedle or plead for it, manipulating someone into giving it to you. If you forget your lunch, you might have to cadge parts of your friend's meal, and if you don't have change for a parking meter, you might try to cadge some from a person walking by. Since the early 1800s, to cadge has meant "to beg," and while its origin is uncertain, it may come from cadger, "itinerant dealer" or "peddler."

Example Sentences

But the modern role is “very gray,” said Wendy Cadge, director of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, in that it’s not uniform or universally understood.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2024

Study organizer Wendy Cadge, a Brandeis University sociology professor who also founded the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at the school, said the Jewish community would benefit from a better focus on chaplaincy’s role.

From Washington Times • Nov. 17, 2022

Satisfied that it would do the job, he instructed his assistant William Cadge to “take the artery” and then turned back to the crowd.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2017

"Ho! that's your game is it?" snarled Cadge, gasping with indignation.

From Golden Stories A Selection of the Best Fiction by the Foremost Writers by Various

The certificate of freedom was formally presented in a silver casket to Mr. Cadge at the Guildhall on March 21st.

From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles

Related Words

• scrounge