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begging bowl

British  

noun

  1. a bowl carried by a beggar, esp a Franciscan or other friar or a Buddhist monk, to receive food or alms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Soon the baby is being set out in the sun beside a begging bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

He said London placed 49 bids, costing an estimated £2.2m, "for the privilege of having a begging bowl".

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2023

“We haven’t got a begging bowl out to the government, we just want help sometimes, sometimes its influence.. sometimes it’s a little bit of funding that gives us a bit of leverage,” he said.

From Reuters • Nov. 29, 2021

Nkengasong urges African countries not to wait for help and rejects the image of the continent holding a begging bowl.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2020

He turned to Puli, who had bought some marbles which he was tossing up and down in his begging bowl, being unable to use them in any other way.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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