go begging

• go a-begging

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

go begging (third-person singular simple present goes begging, present participle going begging, simple past went begging, past participle gone begging)

1. (idiomatic) To be available but wasted, unused, or not actualized.
   • 1904, David Graham Phillips, chapter 18, in The Cost:

     "Principles without leaders go begging," he replied.

   • 1957 April 8, “They're Either Too Pretty or Too Old”, in Time:

     As prosperity piles up the paperwork, the shortage becomes more severe; some 250000 secretarial jobs go begging every day.

   • 2011 June 28, Piers Newbery, “Wimbledon 2011: Sabine Lisicki beats Marion Bartoli”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Three match points went begging as that potent first serve deserted her and even a magnificent backhand lob could not stop Bartoli making it 5-5, before going on to level the match in the tie-break.