cadge

[kaj]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cadge ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cadged, cadg·ing.

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

to borrow without intent to repay.

to beg or obtain by begging.

verb (used without object), cadged, cadg·ing.

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

to beg.

Origin of cadge

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

Related formscadg·er, noun

cadge

[kaj]

noun Falconry.

a frame on which hawks are carried to the field.

Origin of cadge

First recorded in 1605–15; apparently variant of cage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cadge

scrounge, hawk, sponge, bum, peddle, huckster, panhandle, mooch

Examples from the Web for cadge

Historical Examples of cadge

Cadge thinks me still betrothed to John, so she affected to misunderstand.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Cadge fancies, I suppose, that by any mail I may get a big check from home.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
"Some pretty cloak and suit models get big wages," said Cadge.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
I went out into the warm and rainy night, but there was no Cadge at the Star office.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Cadge tried to speak, but could only point to the little bedroom.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark

British Dictionary definitions for cadge

cadge

verb

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

noun

British a person who cadges

on the cadge British informal engaged in cadging

Word Origin for cadge

C17: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for cadge

"to beg" (1812), "to get by begging" (1848), of uncertain origin, perhaps a back-formation from cadger "itinerant dealer with a pack-horse," mid-15c., which is perhaps from early 14c. cadge "to fasten, to tie," of unknown origin.