Moocher

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Casual
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Meaning: A person who habitually asks to borrow or share other people's things instead of getting their own.

总是习惯性地向别人借东西或蹭东西用,而不自己去买的人。
Una persona que tiene la costumbre de pedir prestado o compartir las cosas de los demás en vez de conseguir las suyas.
自分のものを買わずに、いつも他人のものを借りたりもらったりしようとする人のこと。
자기 것을 사지 않고 습관적으로 남의 것을 빌리거나 나눠 달라고 하는 사람을 뜻하는 말.

A 'moocher' is similar to a freeloader but more about constantly bumming small things — cigarettes, rides, food, phone chargers. They always 'forgot their wallet' or 'left it in the car.' A moocher might not be malicious, just annoyingly dependent. The behavior is especially irritating because each individual request seems small, but the pattern adds up.

'Moocher'和freeloader类似,但更侧重于不断地蹭小东西——烟、搭车、食物、手机充电器。他们总是'忘带钱包了'或'落在车里了'。Moocher可能不是故意坑你,只是烦人地依赖别人。这种行为之所以特别让人恼火,是因为每次单独的请求看起来都很小,但积少成多。
Un 'moocher' es parecido a un gorrón, pero se trata más de ir pidiendo constantemente cosas pequeñas: cigarrillos, que te lleven en coche, comida, cargadores de móvil. Siempre 'se olvidaron la cartera' o 'la dejaron en el coche'. Un moocher puede que no sea malintencionado, solo molestamente dependiente. El comportamiento es especialmente irritante porque cada petición individual parece insignificante, pero el patrón se acumula.
「moocher」はfreeloaderに似ているが、タバコ、車の送迎、食べ物、充電器など、小さなものを常にせびるのが特徴だ。いつも「財布忘れた」「車に置いてきた」と言い訳する。悪意があるわけではなく、ただ迷惑なほど他人に依存しているだけの場合が多い。一つ一つの頼みは小さく見えるが、パターンとして積み重なるので特に腹が立つ。
'무처(moocher)'는 프리로더와 비슷하지만, 작은 것들을 계속 빌리는 쪽에 더 가깝다 — 담배, 차 태워주기, 음식, 충전기 등. 항상 '지갑을 깜빡했어' 또는 '차에 두고 왔어'라고 한다. 악의가 있다기보다는 귀찮을 정도로 남에게 의존하는 것이다. 개별 부탁 하나하나는 작아 보이지만, 패턴이 쌓이면 짜증나기 때문이다.

Examples

  1. He's always mooching fries off my plate — get your own!
    他老是蹭我盘子里的薯条——自己点一份啊!
    Siempre me quita patatas del plato — ¡pide las tuyas!
    あいつはいつも俺の皿からポテトをくすねる——自分で頼めよ!
    그 사람은 맨날 내 접시에서 감자튀김을 집어 먹어 — 네 거 시켜!
  2. She's a moocher. Every lunch she asks to try a bite and eats half your meal.
    她就是个蹭饭精。每次吃午饭都说'让我尝一口',然后吃掉你一半的饭。
    Es una sablista. En cada comida pide probar un bocado y se come la mitad de lo tuyo.
    あの子はたかり屋だ。毎回ランチで「一口ちょうだい」と言っては半分食べてしまう。
    그녀는 완전 얌체야. 매번 점심때 한입만 달라고 하더니 반을 먹어치워.
  3. Stop mooching off your parents and get a job.
    别再啃老了,去找份工作吧。
    Deja de vivir a costa de tus padres y busca un trabajo.
    親にたかるのはやめて仕事を見つけろ。
    부모님한테 얹혀살지 말고 취직해.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: sharing, borrowing, social etiquette, friends

Tone: annoyed, teasing

✓ Do Say

  • Stop mooching.
    别再蹭了。
    Deja de sablear.
    たかるのはやめろ。
    그만 좀 빌붙어.
  • He's such a moocher.
    他真是个蹭蹭怪。
    Es un sablista total.
    あいつは本当にたかり屋だ。
    걔는 진짜 얌체야.

✗ Don't Say

  • Lighter than 'freeloader' — mooching is annoying but usually involves small things, while freeloading implies larger-scale exploitation
    比'freeloader'更轻——mooching虽然烦人但通常涉及的是小东西,而freeloading则暗示更大规模的占便宜行为
    Más suave que 'gorrón' — sablear es molesto pero suele implicar cosas pequeñas, mientras que gorronear implica aprovecharse a mayor escala
    「freeloader」より軽い表現——moochingは迷惑だが通常は小さなもので、freeloadingはより大規模な搾取を意味する
    '프리로더'보다 가벼운 표현이다 — 무칭은 작은 것들에 대한 귀찮은 행동이고, 프리로딩은 더 큰 규모의 착취를 뜻한다

Origin & History

From 'mooch' (to beg or scrounge), which appeared in American English in the mid-1800s, possibly from British dialect 'mouch' (to skulk or sneak). Became common American slang for someone who habitually takes from others.

Cultural Context

Era: Mid-1800s onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

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