# coat and badge

idiom · Slang

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/coat-and-badge
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

cadge

## Examples

- He tries to coat and badge a free meal from his friends.
- Instead of buying his own supplies, he always manages to coat and badge whatever he needs from the other artists in the studio.
- The old traveler had learned how to coat and badge a warm bed and a hot soup from almost any household he encountered during his long journey across the countryside.

## Origin

Sometimes known as "Doggett's" as watermen who possessed the Doggett Coat and Badge could charge higher fares than those without.

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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.