Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in pl., boots.

1853

Dickens ‘Slang’ in Household Words 24 Sept. 76/1: The boots [are] crabshells, or trotter cases, or grabbers.

2. (US Und., a thief; thus Irish) a cattle thief.

1832		Public Ledger 12 Nov. 3/3: The principal actors in criminality may be classed under the following heads: [...] Snatchers of reticules, watches, &c &tc. from the person Grabbers.
1848		Era (London) 12 Nov. 8/3: [O]ur fighting contributor [...] has thus poetically classed them:- [...] grabbers (6), shop-bouncers (7), prad-chewers (8), bit-makers (9).
1849		G. Thompson Venus in Boston 24: Included in the company were several other ‘apple girls,’ whose proficiency as thieves entitled them to the distinction of being considered as competent ‘Grabbers;’ [...] among the male portion of the assembly, there were several expert and daring robbers, the most distinguished of whom was Jew Mike himself, whose skill as a burglar had elevated him to the highly honorable position of captain of the ‘Grabbers’.
1866		Nat. Police Gazette 3 Nov. 3: A black plug ‘cady’ on his ‘knob,’ which gave him the appearance of a superannuated ‘grabber’ [HDAS].
1890		Sporting Times 8 Mar. 2/1: Then we tumbled to the fact that a grabber on the other side of the table had twigged the croupier’s mistake, too, and was going for that stake.
1915		G. Fitzmaurice Moonlighter in Five Plays (1917) 83: You dare go against the rules while I am the Captain of the moonlighters! But we aren’t sure of the grabber yet .
1943		(con. 1850s) G.A. Little Malachi Horan Remembers 23: The Waters gave the grabbers such a shocking beating that sorra the man of them but felt glad to get out of that field alive.
1948		P. Kavanagh Tarry Flynn (1965) 237: I’ll put the grains of this graip in your guts, you grabber, if you put a foot inside me fields.

3. (UK Und.) a garrotter.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

4. a hand, often in pl.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1867		Kendal Mercury 9 Mar. 4/2: I thought you were a clever covey, what wouldn’t fall into the bobby’s grabbers.
1912		T.A. Dorgan Daffydills 3 Jan. [synd. cartoon strip] [He] slammed his grabber down on the seat.
1944		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 14 Oct. 14A: He tried in vain to light up a smoke...But his grabbers wouldn’t let the match make the stroke.
1959		A. Sillitoe ‘Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner’ in Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1960) 19: Some pasty-faced tart going head over heels to get her nail-polished grabbers on them.
1969		in DARE.
1994		C. Major Juba to Jive.

5. a pickpocket.

1923

J. Manchon Le Slang.

6. (US) a selfish or greedy person.

1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Sl.
1965–70		in DARE.

7. (US) something that captures people’s attention.

1966		H.S. Thompson Hell’s Angels 25: The national news media had a guaranteed grabber on their hands.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 239: So let’s return to Luther’s real grabber at the Hasseltrouts.
1996		S. Frank Get Shorty [film script] chili: Lovejoy sits behind the wheel, watching the bar across the street, getting his video camera ready for action . . . (looks up) What’s he doing? Following a guy? harry: Read it. It’s a grabber.

8. (Aus.) in pl., the teeth.

1982

N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 176: A person with buck teeth sports ‘a good pair of corned-beef grabbers’.