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By which I mean, people who strategically position themselves so as to acquire money/service/free stuff at the expense of another? I don't mean extortion (that's too strong a word for what I need). Basically, someone who is a sucker for free/paid for things and capitalises on the opportunity. Is there a word for it?

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  • I remember seeing "Freebee" used to describe users of a freebie site. I'm not sure if it has any broader usage though.
    – SF.
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 11:45
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    Related: english.stackexchange.com/questions/94724/…
    – coleopterist
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 12:59
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    Looks like not just the OP but even seasoned answerers failed to check the existing post. I'd say this is a clear 'duplicate' of 94724 not 'related'.
    – Kris
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 15:06
  • OP may check out the cited post and clarify if it serves the purpose, and if not, why.
    – Kris
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 15:07
  • Yes, it's a definite duplicate- for some reason I didn't realise the existence of that thread. Apologies to everyone for the inconvenience
    – janexlane
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 17:59

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Q: By which I mean, people strategically position themselves so as to acquire money/service/free stuff at the expense of another?

Scrooge would be a good term for this, after the protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, who was initially only interested in acquiring money at the expense of all those around him.

Q: I don't mean extortion (that's too strong a word for what I need). Basically, someone who is a sucker for free/paid for things and capitalises on the opportunity. Is there a word for it?

You could call this kind of person a freeloader or free rider, which is someone who will happily take free things without perhaps paying their fair share. The Yiddish word schnorrer can also be used for a sponger.

All these terms carry somewhat negative overtones.

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    +1 for freeloader". That's the word that always comes to my mind.
    – Kristina Lopez
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 12:31
  • * that and "scrounger"
    – janexlane
    Commented Dec 21, 2012 at 18:29
  • I understand Scrooge as a miser, but not a moocher. (The message of the story would be weaker if he were a parasite.) His sin is valuing money too much and other things too little.
    – Anton Sherwood
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 8:54

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