Why do they call them "panhandlers"?
by 
Science Dude.
ANSWERS: 4
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The outstretched arm is supposed to represent a panhandle. Often called 'stemmers' as well.
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I suspect it has to do with tinkers but I'm not sure.
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Maybe because they are holding a "pan" by the "handle" as they wait for some loose change to "tink" into the pan? Just a guess. +5
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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.
-NUNYA-- RELATED QUESTIONS
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