What does ‘beggars can't be choosers’ mean?
To “beggars can't be choosers” means to people in need must accept what is offered. Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 16th century (John Heywood, 1546).
Origin
- Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 16th century (John Heywood, 1546).
How to use it
- Standard rebuke of ingratitude.
- Example: It's not the room I wanted, but beggars can't be choosers.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.