From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgo cap in hand (to somebody)go cap in hand (to somebody)British English, go hat in hand American EnglishASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something to ask for money or help in a very respectful way, from someone who has a lot more power than you Elderly people should receive a heating allowance every winter, instead of having to go cap in hand to the government. → cap
Examples from the Corpus
go cap in hand (to somebody)• Advertisers used to go to museums, cap in hand, to ask permission to use a painting for an advertisement. 