Origin
This expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood’s 1546 collection of proverbs.
Explanation
If someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. This phrase is most often used when someone asks for assistance. It means that, while asking for help, the requester can’t be picky about what is received. “Beggars can’t be choosers” can also mean that when someone is desperate for services, goods or financial support, he or she can’t be selective in what to accept or what not to accept. It may also be used as an admonishment to someone receiving help if he or she questions what is being given and means not to question a gift or assistance if in need. It means that the people who are in great need must accept any help that is offered, even if it is not a complete solution to their problems.When in need of help, one cannot dictate how that help is given; when one’s situation requires one to beg, one cannot complain about the insufficient or sub-standard gifts that one receives.
Examples
I asked Joe to lend me his bicycle, and he sent me this old, rusty one. But beggars can’t be choosers.
Jill : Let me wear your green dress; I don’t like the blue one you lent me.
Jane: Beggars can’t be choosers.
I would have preferred a house of my own rather than sharing but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.
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