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Beggars can't be choosers
Beggars can't be choosersPeople who depend on the generosity of others are in no position to dictate what others give them.
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beggars can't be choosers
beggars can't be choosersThose in dire need must be content with what they get. For example, The cheapest model will have to do—beggars can't be choosers. This expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood's 1546 collection of proverbs.
Beggars can't be choosers
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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“I think we know, we’re aware of it but at the same time it gives us an opportunity to be seen. Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose,” said Duran, Lucas’s agent.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2017
States and communities compete fiercely to lure businesses Beggars can't be choosers.
From Time Magazine Archive
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"Beggars can't be choosers," answered Lane, with his old frank smile.
From The Day of the Beast by Grey, Zane
"Beggars can't be choosers," said he, raising it to his mustache.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 118, August, 1867 by Various
"Beggars can't be choosers," Captain Noah replied mournfully.
From Cappy Ricks Or, the Subjugation of Matt Peasley by Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard)
He wants to play until he is 41, says Balague, who added that someone needs to tell him that "beggars can't be choosers".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2022
"You don’t want that to happen, but I think beggars can’t be choosers right now," Mookie Betts said.
From Fox News ● May 9, 2021
“You don’t want that to happen, but I think beggars can’t be choosers right now,” Mookie Betts said.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2021
Lenagan would not approve of the phrase beggars can't be choosers, but would concede that he has had to search for suitable union targets with imagination.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2013
She says she knows all about teeth and bones and rickets but beggars can’t be choosers.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.