To donate something you want to throw away





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}







9















Suppose that a person buys a packet of sugar. On the way home, the packet falls off his hands and the sugar scatters on the ground. Nobody is expected to gather the sugar again, but that person does so; of course not for his own use anymore, but to donate it to the poor!
Obviously, if the packet hadn't fallen down, he wouldn't have decided to donate it. It goes without saying that this kind of donation and charity is morally worthless and not considered a good deed.
Is there any English idiom to describe this kind of charity or donation?
Thanks in advance.










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:45






  • 7





    One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

    – Cascabel
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:59






  • 2





    To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

    – Persique
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:33






  • 1





    It's like "Ah, fuck it"

    – NVZ
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:50






  • 3





    Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 28 '16 at 19:41


















9















Suppose that a person buys a packet of sugar. On the way home, the packet falls off his hands and the sugar scatters on the ground. Nobody is expected to gather the sugar again, but that person does so; of course not for his own use anymore, but to donate it to the poor!
Obviously, if the packet hadn't fallen down, he wouldn't have decided to donate it. It goes without saying that this kind of donation and charity is morally worthless and not considered a good deed.
Is there any English idiom to describe this kind of charity or donation?
Thanks in advance.










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:45






  • 7





    One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

    – Cascabel
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:59






  • 2





    To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

    – Persique
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:33






  • 1





    It's like "Ah, fuck it"

    – NVZ
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:50






  • 3





    Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 28 '16 at 19:41














9












9








9


2






Suppose that a person buys a packet of sugar. On the way home, the packet falls off his hands and the sugar scatters on the ground. Nobody is expected to gather the sugar again, but that person does so; of course not for his own use anymore, but to donate it to the poor!
Obviously, if the packet hadn't fallen down, he wouldn't have decided to donate it. It goes without saying that this kind of donation and charity is morally worthless and not considered a good deed.
Is there any English idiom to describe this kind of charity or donation?
Thanks in advance.










share|improve this question
















Suppose that a person buys a packet of sugar. On the way home, the packet falls off his hands and the sugar scatters on the ground. Nobody is expected to gather the sugar again, but that person does so; of course not for his own use anymore, but to donate it to the poor!
Obviously, if the packet hadn't fallen down, he wouldn't have decided to donate it. It goes without saying that this kind of donation and charity is morally worthless and not considered a good deed.
Is there any English idiom to describe this kind of charity or donation?
Thanks in advance.







phrase-requests idiom-requests expression-requests






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jun 28 '16 at 23:19









NVZ

20.9k1460110




20.9k1460110










asked Jun 28 '16 at 17:15









PersiquePersique

101110




101110








  • 3





    Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:45






  • 7





    One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

    – Cascabel
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:59






  • 2





    To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

    – Persique
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:33






  • 1





    It's like "Ah, fuck it"

    – NVZ
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:50






  • 3





    Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 28 '16 at 19:41














  • 3





    Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:45






  • 7





    One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

    – Cascabel
    Jun 28 '16 at 17:59






  • 2





    To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

    – Persique
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:33






  • 1





    It's like "Ah, fuck it"

    – NVZ
    Jun 28 '16 at 18:50






  • 3





    Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 28 '16 at 19:41








3




3





Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

– FumbleFingers
Jun 28 '16 at 17:45





Hopefully this sort of patronizing/demeaning behaviour doesn't happen often enough that people have a special term for it. But on the receiving end it's common enough to reject any such "offerings" with I don't want your leftovers! (or leavings).

– FumbleFingers
Jun 28 '16 at 17:45




7




7





One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

– Cascabel
Jun 28 '16 at 17:59





One of the most heart-wrenching things I have witnessed in my life was near the end of the war when a delivery truck lost a case of eggs off the tailgate in the street, and the street-kids gathered round to scoop up the gooey mess and lick it off their fingers. It was probably the most nutritious thing they had to eat that week.

– Cascabel
Jun 28 '16 at 17:59




2




2





To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

– Persique
Jun 28 '16 at 18:33





To FumbleFinge: This kind of behavior is so rare, but I just tried to give a concrete example of the situation I had in mind. The idiom can be generalized to other situations too.Example: you're having a date in a few minutes and you're getting ready to go out. Now, your little brother asks you to help him with his math and you refuse undoubtedly. But then, your girlfriend calls and cancels the date. Now, you put on a good-brother-mask and offer your brother your kind help. In fact, you are donating the time that you wouldn't have donated if your girlfriend hadn't cancelled the date.

– Persique
Jun 28 '16 at 18:33




1




1





It's like "Ah, fuck it"

– NVZ
Jun 28 '16 at 18:50





It's like "Ah, fuck it"

– NVZ
Jun 28 '16 at 18:50




3




3





Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

– Edwin Ashworth
Jun 28 '16 at 19:41





Your second example is quite possibly morally justifiable, and the offer of help when the opportunity arises still laudable, whereas your first involves giving a gift that may in fact be injurious. These are very different scenarios.

– Edwin Ashworth
Jun 28 '16 at 19:41










8 Answers
8






active

oldest

votes


















13














castoffs



The type of charity described in the original question occurs on a country-wide scale sometimes. Recently, an EU member donated a large shipment of medicines to our local General Hospital; however, when it came time to distribute them, it was realized they were already expired.



There is a word to describe this type of donation of unwanted materials: they are cast-offs.




things, usually clothes, that you no longer want:




-Cambridge Dictionary online



Cast-offs usually refers to old clothes which are given to poor relations or dumped in those large bins outside churches in the US, but the word could also be used to describe any unwanted item that is given away. A synonym is reject.



Cast-offs are not usually rejected for being out-of-date in the third world: here old clothes are sold in Mega-pacas and clothe the majority of the poor people.



By way of contrast, I heard that some US food chains are donating what they used to call “waste”:




...food that passes the restaurant-issued freshness date but is still entirely wholesome and edible by FDA standards is packaged, labeled and sent off to community organizations that feed the hungry, such as after-school programs, day cares, transition homes and rehabilitation centers.




Some seek to go even further, donating left-overs and table gleanings.



“Demeaning” depends on your point of view. The morality of charity is not always clear-cut, but hunger has its own politics.






share|improve this answer





















  • 1





    "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

    – Stan
    Jun 29 '16 at 4:17



















6














The only idiom that I can think of is One man's trash is another man's treasure which means:




Prov. Something that one person considers worthless may be considered
valuable by someone else.




[McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]






share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

    – ColleenV
    Jun 28 '16 at 22:14



















6














salvage describes both the OP and the comment scenario. You rescued the sugar from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value. Same with the evening duration with girlfriend or brother: you rescued it from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value.



Miriam-Webster salvage




  • the act of saving something (such as a building, a ship, or cargo) that is in danger of being completely destroyed


  • something (such as cargo) that is saved from a wreck, fire, etc.


  • something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful







share|improve this answer
























  • I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

    – Cascabel
    Jun 28 '16 at 22:38











  • No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

    – EKons
    Jun 29 '16 at 7:56











  • Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

    – Lambie
    Apr 6 at 23:41



















3














The man offloaded the dirty sugar by donating it to the poor.




to offload — (transitive) to get rid of things, work, or problems by passing them on to someone or something else.
He offloaded the defective car onto an unsuspecting buyer. – Meaning #2 from
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/offload







share|improve this answer

































    2














    There's a neologism, not in any dictionary, that's gaining traction and that is "freecycle".



    Rather than dispose of something unwanted, you freecycle it and someone who wants it takes it off your hands.



    It has, in large, been driven by the freecycle website.



    I have no affiliation with said website.






    share|improve this answer































      1














      Not sure if this is widely used but I think it would be widely understood if you identified this act discarding to charity or charitable discard



      In the "British Dictionary definitions" section for discard it reads:





      1. (transitive) to get rid of as useless or undesirable






      If you add the element of deception to the mix then you can say pawn-off to charity



      pawn-off



      http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pawn+off




      To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value.







      share|improve this answer































        1














        A white elephant gift might be a somewhat useful term in this situation.



        From the British Dictionary entries on dictionary.com:




        1. a possession that is unwanted by its owner






        share|improve this answer































          0














          I can't find any perfect match for what you've requested. But on second thought, here's an unrelated non-answer.



          On second thought — TFD




          after having thought about something again.



          "On second thought we decided that it would be too expensive to fly, so we took a bus instead."







          share|improve this answer





















          • 3





            Un-related: Not related. See related.

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 7:57











          • @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

            – NVZ
            Jun 29 '16 at 17:17











          • Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 18:21













          • @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

            – NVZ
            Jun 29 '16 at 18:22














          Your Answer








          StackExchange.ready(function() {
          var channelOptions = {
          tags: "".split(" "),
          id: "97"
          };
          initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

          StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
          // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
          if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
          StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
          createEditor();
          });
          }
          else {
          createEditor();
          }
          });

          function createEditor() {
          StackExchange.prepareEditor({
          heartbeatType: 'answer',
          autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
          convertImagesToLinks: false,
          noModals: true,
          showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
          reputationToPostImages: null,
          bindNavPrevention: true,
          postfix: "",
          imageUploader: {
          brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
          contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
          allowUrls: true
          },
          noCode: true, onDemand: true,
          discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
          ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
          });


          }
          });














          draft saved

          draft discarded


















          StackExchange.ready(
          function () {
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f334706%2fto-donate-something-you-want-to-throw-away%23new-answer', 'question_page');
          }
          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown

























          8 Answers
          8






          active

          oldest

          votes








          8 Answers
          8






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes









          13














          castoffs



          The type of charity described in the original question occurs on a country-wide scale sometimes. Recently, an EU member donated a large shipment of medicines to our local General Hospital; however, when it came time to distribute them, it was realized they were already expired.



          There is a word to describe this type of donation of unwanted materials: they are cast-offs.




          things, usually clothes, that you no longer want:




          -Cambridge Dictionary online



          Cast-offs usually refers to old clothes which are given to poor relations or dumped in those large bins outside churches in the US, but the word could also be used to describe any unwanted item that is given away. A synonym is reject.



          Cast-offs are not usually rejected for being out-of-date in the third world: here old clothes are sold in Mega-pacas and clothe the majority of the poor people.



          By way of contrast, I heard that some US food chains are donating what they used to call “waste”:




          ...food that passes the restaurant-issued freshness date but is still entirely wholesome and edible by FDA standards is packaged, labeled and sent off to community organizations that feed the hungry, such as after-school programs, day cares, transition homes and rehabilitation centers.




          Some seek to go even further, donating left-overs and table gleanings.



          “Demeaning” depends on your point of view. The morality of charity is not always clear-cut, but hunger has its own politics.






          share|improve this answer





















          • 1





            "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

            – Stan
            Jun 29 '16 at 4:17
















          13














          castoffs



          The type of charity described in the original question occurs on a country-wide scale sometimes. Recently, an EU member donated a large shipment of medicines to our local General Hospital; however, when it came time to distribute them, it was realized they were already expired.



          There is a word to describe this type of donation of unwanted materials: they are cast-offs.




          things, usually clothes, that you no longer want:




          -Cambridge Dictionary online



          Cast-offs usually refers to old clothes which are given to poor relations or dumped in those large bins outside churches in the US, but the word could also be used to describe any unwanted item that is given away. A synonym is reject.



          Cast-offs are not usually rejected for being out-of-date in the third world: here old clothes are sold in Mega-pacas and clothe the majority of the poor people.



          By way of contrast, I heard that some US food chains are donating what they used to call “waste”:




          ...food that passes the restaurant-issued freshness date but is still entirely wholesome and edible by FDA standards is packaged, labeled and sent off to community organizations that feed the hungry, such as after-school programs, day cares, transition homes and rehabilitation centers.




          Some seek to go even further, donating left-overs and table gleanings.



          “Demeaning” depends on your point of view. The morality of charity is not always clear-cut, but hunger has its own politics.






          share|improve this answer





















          • 1





            "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

            – Stan
            Jun 29 '16 at 4:17














          13












          13








          13







          castoffs



          The type of charity described in the original question occurs on a country-wide scale sometimes. Recently, an EU member donated a large shipment of medicines to our local General Hospital; however, when it came time to distribute them, it was realized they were already expired.



          There is a word to describe this type of donation of unwanted materials: they are cast-offs.




          things, usually clothes, that you no longer want:




          -Cambridge Dictionary online



          Cast-offs usually refers to old clothes which are given to poor relations or dumped in those large bins outside churches in the US, but the word could also be used to describe any unwanted item that is given away. A synonym is reject.



          Cast-offs are not usually rejected for being out-of-date in the third world: here old clothes are sold in Mega-pacas and clothe the majority of the poor people.



          By way of contrast, I heard that some US food chains are donating what they used to call “waste”:




          ...food that passes the restaurant-issued freshness date but is still entirely wholesome and edible by FDA standards is packaged, labeled and sent off to community organizations that feed the hungry, such as after-school programs, day cares, transition homes and rehabilitation centers.




          Some seek to go even further, donating left-overs and table gleanings.



          “Demeaning” depends on your point of view. The morality of charity is not always clear-cut, but hunger has its own politics.






          share|improve this answer















          castoffs



          The type of charity described in the original question occurs on a country-wide scale sometimes. Recently, an EU member donated a large shipment of medicines to our local General Hospital; however, when it came time to distribute them, it was realized they were already expired.



          There is a word to describe this type of donation of unwanted materials: they are cast-offs.




          things, usually clothes, that you no longer want:




          -Cambridge Dictionary online



          Cast-offs usually refers to old clothes which are given to poor relations or dumped in those large bins outside churches in the US, but the word could also be used to describe any unwanted item that is given away. A synonym is reject.



          Cast-offs are not usually rejected for being out-of-date in the third world: here old clothes are sold in Mega-pacas and clothe the majority of the poor people.



          By way of contrast, I heard that some US food chains are donating what they used to call “waste”:




          ...food that passes the restaurant-issued freshness date but is still entirely wholesome and edible by FDA standards is packaged, labeled and sent off to community organizations that feed the hungry, such as after-school programs, day cares, transition homes and rehabilitation centers.




          Some seek to go even further, donating left-overs and table gleanings.



          “Demeaning” depends on your point of view. The morality of charity is not always clear-cut, but hunger has its own politics.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Apr 6 at 23:23

























          answered Jun 28 '16 at 22:37









          CascabelCascabel

          8,08462856




          8,08462856








          • 1





            "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

            – Stan
            Jun 29 '16 at 4:17














          • 1





            "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

            – Stan
            Jun 29 '16 at 4:17








          1




          1





          "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

          – Stan
          Jun 29 '16 at 4:17





          "Need insulates me from the embarrassment of choice."

          – Stan
          Jun 29 '16 at 4:17













          6














          The only idiom that I can think of is One man's trash is another man's treasure which means:




          Prov. Something that one person considers worthless may be considered
          valuable by someone else.




          [McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]






          share|improve this answer



















          • 2





            Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

            – ColleenV
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:14
















          6














          The only idiom that I can think of is One man's trash is another man's treasure which means:




          Prov. Something that one person considers worthless may be considered
          valuable by someone else.




          [McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]






          share|improve this answer



















          • 2





            Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

            – ColleenV
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:14














          6












          6








          6







          The only idiom that I can think of is One man's trash is another man's treasure which means:




          Prov. Something that one person considers worthless may be considered
          valuable by someone else.




          [McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]






          share|improve this answer













          The only idiom that I can think of is One man's trash is another man's treasure which means:




          Prov. Something that one person considers worthless may be considered
          valuable by someone else.




          [McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs]







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Jun 28 '16 at 18:06







          user140086















          • 2





            Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

            – ColleenV
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:14














          • 2





            Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

            – ColleenV
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:14








          2




          2





          Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

          – ColleenV
          Jun 28 '16 at 22:14





          Usually that idiom goes the other way though, doesn't it? The first person throws something away, and someone who sees the value of it picks it out of the trash.

          – ColleenV
          Jun 28 '16 at 22:14











          6














          salvage describes both the OP and the comment scenario. You rescued the sugar from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value. Same with the evening duration with girlfriend or brother: you rescued it from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value.



          Miriam-Webster salvage




          • the act of saving something (such as a building, a ship, or cargo) that is in danger of being completely destroyed


          • something (such as cargo) that is saved from a wreck, fire, etc.


          • something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful







          share|improve this answer
























          • I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

            – Cascabel
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:38











          • No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 7:56











          • Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

            – Lambie
            Apr 6 at 23:41
















          6














          salvage describes both the OP and the comment scenario. You rescued the sugar from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value. Same with the evening duration with girlfriend or brother: you rescued it from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value.



          Miriam-Webster salvage




          • the act of saving something (such as a building, a ship, or cargo) that is in danger of being completely destroyed


          • something (such as cargo) that is saved from a wreck, fire, etc.


          • something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful







          share|improve this answer
























          • I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

            – Cascabel
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:38











          • No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 7:56











          • Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

            – Lambie
            Apr 6 at 23:41














          6












          6








          6







          salvage describes both the OP and the comment scenario. You rescued the sugar from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value. Same with the evening duration with girlfriend or brother: you rescued it from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value.



          Miriam-Webster salvage




          • the act of saving something (such as a building, a ship, or cargo) that is in danger of being completely destroyed


          • something (such as cargo) that is saved from a wreck, fire, etc.


          • something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful







          share|improve this answer













          salvage describes both the OP and the comment scenario. You rescued the sugar from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value. Same with the evening duration with girlfriend or brother: you rescued it from waste, and extracted some residual utility if not your full value.



          Miriam-Webster salvage




          • the act of saving something (such as a building, a ship, or cargo) that is in danger of being completely destroyed


          • something (such as cargo) that is saved from a wreck, fire, etc.


          • something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful








          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Jun 28 '16 at 21:33









          user662852user662852

          2,723619




          2,723619













          • I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

            – Cascabel
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:38











          • No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 7:56











          • Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

            – Lambie
            Apr 6 at 23:41



















          • I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

            – Cascabel
            Jun 28 '16 at 22:38











          • No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

            – EKons
            Jun 29 '16 at 7:56











          • Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

            – Lambie
            Apr 6 at 23:41

















          I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

          – Cascabel
          Jun 28 '16 at 22:38





          I wrote an answer but I like yours better.

          – Cascabel
          Jun 28 '16 at 22:38













          No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

          – EKons
          Jun 29 '16 at 7:56





          No phrase, no idiom, no expression. Just a word. I don't like this at all!

          – EKons
          Jun 29 '16 at 7:56













          Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

          – Lambie
          Apr 6 at 23:41





          Yeah, but not sugar on the ground or wheat on the factory floor.

          – Lambie
          Apr 6 at 23:41











          3














          The man offloaded the dirty sugar by donating it to the poor.




          to offload — (transitive) to get rid of things, work, or problems by passing them on to someone or something else.
          He offloaded the defective car onto an unsuspecting buyer. – Meaning #2 from
          https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/offload







          share|improve this answer






























            3














            The man offloaded the dirty sugar by donating it to the poor.




            to offload — (transitive) to get rid of things, work, or problems by passing them on to someone or something else.
            He offloaded the defective car onto an unsuspecting buyer. – Meaning #2 from
            https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/offload







            share|improve this answer




























              3












              3








              3







              The man offloaded the dirty sugar by donating it to the poor.




              to offload — (transitive) to get rid of things, work, or problems by passing them on to someone or something else.
              He offloaded the defective car onto an unsuspecting buyer. – Meaning #2 from
              https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/offload







              share|improve this answer















              The man offloaded the dirty sugar by donating it to the poor.




              to offload — (transitive) to get rid of things, work, or problems by passing them on to someone or something else.
              He offloaded the defective car onto an unsuspecting buyer. – Meaning #2 from
              https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/offload








              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Jun 29 '16 at 16:56

























              answered Jun 29 '16 at 0:10









              k1erank1eran

              18.9k63878




              18.9k63878























                  2














                  There's a neologism, not in any dictionary, that's gaining traction and that is "freecycle".



                  Rather than dispose of something unwanted, you freecycle it and someone who wants it takes it off your hands.



                  It has, in large, been driven by the freecycle website.



                  I have no affiliation with said website.






                  share|improve this answer




























                    2














                    There's a neologism, not in any dictionary, that's gaining traction and that is "freecycle".



                    Rather than dispose of something unwanted, you freecycle it and someone who wants it takes it off your hands.



                    It has, in large, been driven by the freecycle website.



                    I have no affiliation with said website.






                    share|improve this answer


























                      2












                      2








                      2







                      There's a neologism, not in any dictionary, that's gaining traction and that is "freecycle".



                      Rather than dispose of something unwanted, you freecycle it and someone who wants it takes it off your hands.



                      It has, in large, been driven by the freecycle website.



                      I have no affiliation with said website.






                      share|improve this answer













                      There's a neologism, not in any dictionary, that's gaining traction and that is "freecycle".



                      Rather than dispose of something unwanted, you freecycle it and someone who wants it takes it off your hands.



                      It has, in large, been driven by the freecycle website.



                      I have no affiliation with said website.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered Jun 29 '16 at 17:15









                      SteSte

                      12.7k95198




                      12.7k95198























                          1














                          Not sure if this is widely used but I think it would be widely understood if you identified this act discarding to charity or charitable discard



                          In the "British Dictionary definitions" section for discard it reads:





                          1. (transitive) to get rid of as useless or undesirable






                          If you add the element of deception to the mix then you can say pawn-off to charity



                          pawn-off



                          http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pawn+off




                          To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value.







                          share|improve this answer




























                            1














                            Not sure if this is widely used but I think it would be widely understood if you identified this act discarding to charity or charitable discard



                            In the "British Dictionary definitions" section for discard it reads:





                            1. (transitive) to get rid of as useless or undesirable






                            If you add the element of deception to the mix then you can say pawn-off to charity



                            pawn-off



                            http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pawn+off




                            To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value.







                            share|improve this answer


























                              1












                              1








                              1







                              Not sure if this is widely used but I think it would be widely understood if you identified this act discarding to charity or charitable discard



                              In the "British Dictionary definitions" section for discard it reads:





                              1. (transitive) to get rid of as useless or undesirable






                              If you add the element of deception to the mix then you can say pawn-off to charity



                              pawn-off



                              http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pawn+off




                              To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value.







                              share|improve this answer













                              Not sure if this is widely used but I think it would be widely understood if you identified this act discarding to charity or charitable discard



                              In the "British Dictionary definitions" section for discard it reads:





                              1. (transitive) to get rid of as useless or undesirable






                              If you add the element of deception to the mix then you can say pawn-off to charity



                              pawn-off



                              http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pawn+off




                              To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value.








                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered Jun 29 '16 at 14:26









                              MonkeyZeusMonkeyZeus

                              2,7721615




                              2,7721615























                                  1














                                  A white elephant gift might be a somewhat useful term in this situation.



                                  From the British Dictionary entries on dictionary.com:




                                  1. a possession that is unwanted by its owner






                                  share|improve this answer




























                                    1














                                    A white elephant gift might be a somewhat useful term in this situation.



                                    From the British Dictionary entries on dictionary.com:




                                    1. a possession that is unwanted by its owner






                                    share|improve this answer


























                                      1












                                      1








                                      1







                                      A white elephant gift might be a somewhat useful term in this situation.



                                      From the British Dictionary entries on dictionary.com:




                                      1. a possession that is unwanted by its owner






                                      share|improve this answer













                                      A white elephant gift might be a somewhat useful term in this situation.



                                      From the British Dictionary entries on dictionary.com:




                                      1. a possession that is unwanted by its owner







                                      share|improve this answer












                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer










                                      answered Jun 29 '16 at 14:49









                                      Jed SchaafJed Schaaf

                                      1394




                                      1394























                                          0














                                          I can't find any perfect match for what you've requested. But on second thought, here's an unrelated non-answer.



                                          On second thought — TFD




                                          after having thought about something again.



                                          "On second thought we decided that it would be too expensive to fly, so we took a bus instead."







                                          share|improve this answer





















                                          • 3





                                            Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 7:57











                                          • @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 17:17











                                          • Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:21













                                          • @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:22


















                                          0














                                          I can't find any perfect match for what you've requested. But on second thought, here's an unrelated non-answer.



                                          On second thought — TFD




                                          after having thought about something again.



                                          "On second thought we decided that it would be too expensive to fly, so we took a bus instead."







                                          share|improve this answer





















                                          • 3





                                            Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 7:57











                                          • @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 17:17











                                          • Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:21













                                          • @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:22
















                                          0












                                          0








                                          0







                                          I can't find any perfect match for what you've requested. But on second thought, here's an unrelated non-answer.



                                          On second thought — TFD




                                          after having thought about something again.



                                          "On second thought we decided that it would be too expensive to fly, so we took a bus instead."







                                          share|improve this answer















                                          I can't find any perfect match for what you've requested. But on second thought, here's an unrelated non-answer.



                                          On second thought — TFD




                                          after having thought about something again.



                                          "On second thought we decided that it would be too expensive to fly, so we took a bus instead."








                                          share|improve this answer














                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer








                                          edited Jun 29 '16 at 18:24

























                                          answered Jun 28 '16 at 18:54









                                          NVZNVZ

                                          20.9k1460110




                                          20.9k1460110








                                          • 3





                                            Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 7:57











                                          • @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 17:17











                                          • Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:21













                                          • @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:22
















                                          • 3





                                            Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 7:57











                                          • @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 17:17











                                          • Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                            – EKons
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:21













                                          • @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                            – NVZ
                                            Jun 29 '16 at 18:22










                                          3




                                          3





                                          Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                          – EKons
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 7:57





                                          Un-related: Not related. See related.

                                          – EKons
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 7:57













                                          @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                          – NVZ
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 17:17





                                          @Constant'sErik What do you mean?

                                          – NVZ
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 17:17













                                          Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                          – EKons
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 18:21







                                          Un-related: Not related. See related. (pun intended) I mean, it's not as related as you say. "On second thought" is an expression that means "My second thought is that". It doesn't mean "I've decided to donate [(ant)onym], instead of trashing it."

                                          – EKons
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 18:21















                                          @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                          – NVZ
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 18:22







                                          @Constant'sErik Haha, sorry I was a tube late. :)

                                          – NVZ
                                          Jun 29 '16 at 18:22




















                                          draft saved

                                          draft discarded




















































                                          Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


                                          • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                          But avoid



                                          • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                          • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                                          To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                          draft saved


                                          draft discarded














                                          StackExchange.ready(
                                          function () {
                                          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f334706%2fto-donate-something-you-want-to-throw-away%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                          }
                                          );

                                          Post as a guest















                                          Required, but never shown





















































                                          Required, but never shown














                                          Required, but never shown












                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Required, but never shown

































                                          Required, but never shown














                                          Required, but never shown












                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Popular posts from this blog

                                          數位音樂下載

                                          When can things happen in Etherscan, such as the picture below?

                                          格利澤436b