cap in hand
A phrase used to describe a request for help, often monetary, that is made with embarrassment. My daughter recently came cap in hand for help paying her rent.
cap in hand
see under hat in hand.
cap in hand
humbly asking for a favour. To have your cap in your hand, and therefore to have your head uncovered, is a mark of respect and also of subordination. The idea of a cap as a begging bowl into which coins can be dropped may also be present. A North American version of this expression is hat in hand .
cap in hand
Humbly or submissively.