Origin: 1890–95; < Yiddish shnorer beggar, sponger, equivalent to shnor(n) to beg (compare Middle High German snurren to hum, buzz, whir; sense “beg” from beggars' custom of playing a small pipe or whistle (German Schnurrpfeife)) + -er-er1
1892, from Yiddish, "beggar," from Ger. slang schnurrer, from schnurren "to go begging" (slang), perhaps ult. imitative of the sound of pleading or whining (e.g. sneer, snorkel, snarl).
n. a beggar; a person who sponges off of friends and relatives. (Yiddish.) : Buy your own ciggies if you don't like mine. Shnorrers can't be choosers.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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