A sponger is someone who lives off other people — takes their money, their food, their spare room — and gives nothing back, and could work but doesn't. The word is an insult. You are not describing a situation; you are judging a person, and saying they are lazy and a bit shameless about it.

A sponger is someone who lives off other peopleSponger是靠別人過活的人——takes their money, their food, their spare room拿走他們的錢、食物、多出來的房間——and gives nothing back卻什麼也不回饋, and could work but doesn't而且明明能工作卻不工作。The word is an insult這個字是個侮辱。You are not describing a situation你不是在描述一個情況; you are judging a person你是在評判一個人, and saying they are lazy and a bit shameless about it說他懶惰，而且對這件事有點厚臉皮。

Two things have to be true before people use it.

Two things have to be true要有兩件事成立, before people use it人們才會用這個字。

First, the taking has to be repeated — one borrowed lunch is not spongeing, but the friend who has eaten at your table every week for a year and never once paid might get called one. Second, the person has to be seen as able to manage on their own.

First, the taking has to be repeated第一，拿取的行為必須是一再發生的——one borrowed lunch is not spongeing借吃一次午餐不算spongeing, but the friend who has eaten at your table every week for a year and never once paid might get called one但一個朋友一年來每週都在你家吃飯、一次都沒付過錢，就可能被叫做sponger。Second, the person has to be seen as able to manage on their own第二，這個人必須被看作是有能力自己過活的。

Nobody calls a small child or a sick person a sponger; they call the healthy cousin on the sofa one.

Nobody calls a small child or a sick person a sponger沒有人會把小孩子或生病的人叫做sponger; they call the healthy cousin on the sofa one他們會這樣叫那個窩在沙發上、身體健康的表親。

It is British and rather informal — you would hear it in a pub or a family argument, not in a report. Americans more often say mooch or freeloader.

It is British and rather informal這是英式、相當口語的字——you would hear it in a pub or a family argument你會在酒吧或家庭爭吵裡聽到, not in a report不會出現在報告裡。Americans more often say mooch or freeloader美國人更常說mooch或freeloader。

Be careful with it in public talk: in Britain the word is often thrown at people receiving government money by those who think they should be working, so it can carry a political sting the speaker may not have meant to lend it.

Be careful with it in public talk在公開場合說這個字要小心: in Britain the word is often thrown at people receiving government money在英國，這個字常常被丟向領政府補助的人, by those who think they should be working丟這個字的人覺得那些人應該去工作, so it can carry a political sting所以它可能帶著一種政治意味的刺 the speaker may not have meant to lend it是說話的人自己都沒意識到的。