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Schnorrer (שנאָרער; also spelled shnorrer) is a Yiddish term meaning "beggar" or "sponger".

English language usage

The English language usage of the word denotes a sly chiseler who will get money out of his acquaintances any way he can, often through an air of entitlement. A schnorrer is distinguished from an ordinary beggar by dint of his boundless chutzpah. Like "moocher", "schnorrer" does not apply to direct begging or destitution, but rather a habit of getting things (food, tools) by politely or insistently borrowing them with no intention of return.

Historical

A big number of beggars resulted in Poland after Chmielnicki's pogroms, when many households were destroyed. Schnorrers begged for themselves, for dowries of poor brides (Hakhnasat Kallah); a practice which was allowed even when it disrupted the public study of the Torah, or for the restoration of a burned down household.

Jewish humor

Schnorrers are a common butt of Jewish jokes, depicting his living off his wits and his dignified entitlement to handouts.

(One of many variants) A schnorrer comes to a wealthy businessman and asks for handout. "Have a pity for a poor shoemaker whose family is starving". - "But aren't we the one who asked for alms from me last week presenting yourselves as a carpenter?" - "So true, who can in these bad times support himself from just one job?"

Moishe the shnorrer is outraged to hear that his wealthy patron has halved his annual allowance. The donor apologetically explains that his son has married a woman of expensive tastes and he, the father, must foot the bill. "He can marry who he wants", retorts the shnorrer. "Just not with my money".

Sigmund Freud in his 1905 joke collection Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious (its 1905 translation is in public domain now together with the original) gives the following interpretation of shnorrer's entitlement.

The Schnorrer begged the Baron for some money for a journey to Ostend; his doctor had recommended sea-bathing for his troubles. The Baron thought Ostend was a particularly expensive resort; a cheaper one would do equally well. The Schnorrer, however, rejected the proposal with the words: "Herr Baron, I consider nothing too expensive for my health."' This is an excellent displacement joke which we might have taken as a model for that class. The Baron evidently wants to save his money, but the Schnorrer answers as though the Baron’s money was his own, which he may then quite well value less than his health. Here we are expected to laugh at the impertinence of the demand; but it is rarely that these jokes are not equipped with a façade to mislead the understanding. The truth that lies behind is that the Schnorrer, who in his thoughts treats the rich man’s money as his own, has actually, according to the sacred ordinances of the Jews, almost a right to make this confusion. The indignation raised by this joke is of course directed against a Law which is highly oppressive even to pious people.

Here is another anecdote:

‘A Schnorrer on his way up a rich man’s staircase met a fellow member of his profession, who advised him to go no further. "Don’t go up to-day," he said, "the Baron is in a bad mood to-day; he’s giving nobody more than one florin." - "I’II go up all the same", said the first Schnorrer "Why should I give him a florin? Does he give me anything?" ‘

This joke employs the technique of absurdity, since it makes the Schnorrer assert that the Baron gives him nothing at the very moment at which he is preparing to beg him for a gift. But the absurdity is only apparent. It is almost true that the rich man gives him nothing, since he is obliged by the Law to give him alms and should, strictly speaking, be grateful to him for giving him an opportunity for beneficence. The ordinary, middle-class view of charity is in conflict here with the religious one;...

In film and literature

• Israel Zangwill's 1894 picaresque novel The King of Schnorrers
  • Bernard Herrmann wrote a musical comedy based on Zangwill's novel, which run on Broadway for a short time in 1979.
• The song Hooray for Captain Spaulding, which appears in both the Broadway play and movie versions of Animal Crackers contains the lyric, "Did someone call me Schnorrer?"
• The comedian Jackie Mason often pokes fun at the stereotype of Jews as schnorrers.
• Father Phil in Season 1 of The Sopranos often refers to himself as a "schnorrer," going to parishioner's homes to eat their home cooking, commonly, Carmela Soprano. He defines a "schnorrer" as "Somebody who always shows up in time for free grub." He attributes this language to growing up in Yonkers, NY, among many Jewish people.
• Jerry Seinfeld in season 11 episode 08 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Martin Short asks Seinfeld what he thinks is the funniest Jewish word, and Seinfeld responds, "It might be 'schnorrer', which he defines as “someone who picks the cashews out of the mixed nuts.”
• Larry David tells Ted Danson he should chip in for a private plane to avoid being considered a schnorrer in season 10 episode 04 of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

References

1. jewishencyclopedia.com – "Schnorrer". Retrieved 24 June 2009.
2. jewishvirtuallibrary.org – Begging and Beggars
3. ^ Jewish words: Shnorrer, The Jewish Chronicle
4. y Payson R. Stevens, Sol Steinmetz, Meshuggenary. Celebrating the World of Yiddish, 2002, p.76
5. The Targets of Jewish Humor
6. Dalzell, Tom (11 May 2018). The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-76520-6.

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