mumper
Definition
Noun: A "mumper" is an archaic or dialectal term for a beggar or someone who asks for alms, especially one who feigns illness or disability to gain sympathy.
Usage Examples
- (A person who begs for money.)
- (A beggar who deceives others for charity.)
Advanced Usage
- "To play the mumper": to act like a beggar, often with deception.
- He played the mumper at the fair, collecting pennies from passersby. (He pretended to be a beggar for profit.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mump (verb): to beg or to act as a beggar; also, to mumble or be sulky.
- He mumped for food at the market. (He begged for food.)
Synonyms
- Beggar: a person who asks for money or food.
- Mendicant: a person who lives by begging, often for religious reasons.
- Panhandler: a person who begs for money in public places.
Related Idioms
- To go mumping: to engage in begging.
- During the famine, many went mumping from door to door. (Many resorted to begging.)
Etymology Note
The word "mumper" likely originates from the verb "mump," which can mean to mumble or to beg, and may be related to the Dutch word "mompelen" (to mumble) or the Old English "mumpian" (to murmur). It is now considered obsolete or dialectal in modern English.