# angle for farthings

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/angle-for-farthings
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To beg out of a prison window with a cap, or box, let down at the end of a long string.

## Examples

- The prisoners angle for farthings to buy extra food.
- From his high cell window, the man would angle for farthings whenever he heard footsteps in the street below.
- The desperate captive continued to angle for farthings, hoping that a sympathetic passerby might drop a coin into his dangling tin.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.