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"The meaning is the same either way, but it is most often said "beggars can't be choosers.""

The poetic reasoning behind this is simply that it sounds better. The phrase uses a poetic device called (if I'm not mistaken) assonance. Assonance is simply the repetition of a vowel sound in the middle or at the end of words. The words "beggars" and "choosers" both end with the sound "ers." (Now don't get mixed up with this concept - assonance refers to the soundof words, not the spelling.) So While both are correct (choosers and choosy), most people prefer to use "choosers" because, like I said, it simply sounds better.

Now, the grammatical reasoning behind the saying is simply using an adjective versus a noun. "Choosy" is an adjective, stating that a beggar must not have standards over what he is given. A "chooser" is a noun, stating that one person cannot be both a beggar and a chooser at the same time.

Hopefully this helped! I apologize for the unwanted grammar lesson. :(

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11y ago
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15y ago

Late English 16th. Cent, colloquial, literal

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Q: What is the proper phrase beggars can't be choosers or beggars can't be choosy?
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