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by calicorey on May 28th, 2009
We call this practice “panhandling,” the origin of which is obscure. Some believe it is because beggars used to sit quietly on the sidewalk with a pan, others believe it is because an outstretched hand looks like a panhandle. Neither of these theories strikes me as realistic. I prefer to think it comes from the desire of the person being asked for money to hit the beggar with any available weapon, such as a panhandle, pans being commonly carried objects in the early 19th century.
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