What would you call someone who isn't afraid to ask for money or any kind of favor or who misinterprets someone's generosity for a consistent resource for what they need?
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Start here: thefreedictionary.com/bum – MetaEd Dec 18 '12 at 20:23
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3It's worth noting the different usages of bum on the different sides of the Atlantic. For BrE, start with scrounger. – Andrew Leach♦ Dec 18 '12 at 20:26
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7'kind of a jerk'? – Mitch Dec 19 '12 at 3:49
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2It's interesting how many different words there are for this... also @AndrewLeach I find 'bum' to be quite common in Britain (e.g. 'can I bum a cigarette off you?') – Nico Burns Dec 19 '12 at 18:29
a person who habitually depends on the charity of others for food, shelter, etc.
We used the term "mooch" (def 7) when I was younger. I think that one literary offering is "takers" (Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged)
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4You can improve your answer by providing a link to a definition of mooch. For example: thefreedictionary.com/mooch And moocher is an alternative form of the word that is more recognizable as a noun. – JLG Dec 18 '12 at 21:38
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1I thought that the use of it as a noun was limited to my friends in high school so I didn't expect to find it in any dictionary. – rosends Dec 18 '12 at 22:41
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Google it and you will find that it is, indeed, an entry in numerous dictionaries. Add a link and I'll give you an upvote and remove my comments. – JLG Dec 18 '12 at 22:46
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9leave the comments and don't worry about an upvote. You have validated my childhood vocabulary. That's worth more to me. – rosends Dec 18 '12 at 23:02
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You could also call that person a sponge:
sponge n.
8. One who habitually depends on others for one's own maintenance.
The term sponger is also used to mean the same thing, chiefly in British English.
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3Yes for sponger, which in my experience is used quite naturally in the UK to mean scrounger. But if I ever see/hear "He's a sponge", it's likely to be followed by further explanatory text (perhaps explicitly saying he sponges up other people's money, but perhaps he's a sponge for information, praise, knowledge, etc.). – FumbleFingers Dec 18 '12 at 22:15
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2I've heard it used in a positive way to describing a child's impressive learning abilities. – dodgy_coder Dec 19 '12 at 2:57
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One meaning of the word parasite is:
One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.
Would you allow the Yiddish schnorrer?
“One who habitually takes advantage of others' generosity, often through an air of entitlement.”
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+1 Interesting, in Austria (we speak German) that's a common used word. – schlingel Dec 20 '12 at 9:11
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Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov actually was known to take (food, etc.) from others because otherwise the tzedakah funds would have gone to waste. – Adam Mosheh Dec 21 '12 at 19:16
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@AvrohomYitzchok - Unfortunately I cannot remember 100%. IIRC, however, it was in a book that is a compilation of stories that were told over by Rabbi Shlomoh Carlebach a"h. Levi Yitzchak Berditchover and also Reb Zusha of Anipoly. – Adam Mosheh Dec 31 '12 at 19:30
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@AvrohomYitzchok: The 1928 Marx Brothers musical, Animal Crackers, featured a Bert Kalmer and Harry Ruby song introducing Groucho's character using the term: CHORUS: "Hooray for Captain Spalding, the African Explorer,"GROUCHO: "Did someone say a <i>schnorrer</i>?<br>CHORUS: "Hooray, hooray, hooray." <p>Indeed, Groucho's Capt. Spalding was indeed a schnorrer, moocher, and fraud, and terrific. – Bruce James Mar 13 '13 at 17:34
"Opportunist":
One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences.
From the FreeDictionary.com
I'd agree with Dan; I'd call that person a mooch. From NOAD:
mooch
(verb) ask for or obtain (something) without paying for it
(noun) a beggar or scrounger
You can also use moocher in place of mooch. Wordnik defines moocher as "A person having a tendency to repeatedly ask help of others, especially if they are making little effort to help themselves."
User was the first that came to mind... That person is such a user. I've also heard cat. ...Once you give, they keep on coming back.