sticky fingers n.
1. a thief.
![]() | Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 226: sticky fingers One given to petty theft; to steal. | |
![]() | Among Thieves 147: The fellow with his eye on the prize. Old sticky fingers. |
2. the tendency or desire to steal.
![]() | Cut and Run (1963) 77: I dropped the watch in my pocket. I can’t control my sticky fingers. | |
![]() | Shooting in the Dark (2002) 285: Maybe Ralph’s sticky fingers had upset some kind of drug syndicate and they were looking for revenge. |
In compounds
larcenous.
![]() | Pubs Eng. Dial. Soc 62-5 33: STICKY-FINGERED, adj. thievish. ‘He’s a sticky-fingered chap, an’ all. The very fust day he’s out of prison he steals a bag of potatoes out of Widow Baines’ garding’. | |
![]() | Sun. Times (Perth) 21 Apr. 1/1: Having picked up the ten pound note [...] he attempted to bluff [...] the name and occupation of the sticky-fingered bounder will appear in due time. | |
![]() | Caught (2001) 151: When you said about the Regular what ’ad a sister that got took inside for bein’ sticky fingered in one of the big shops. | |
![]() | Sun. Times (S.Afr.) 6 Jan. 20: The sticky-fingered Mwai Kibaki, who had just added an election to the list of stolen goods in his possession. |
In phrases
to rob.
![]() | (con. 1960s) Black Gangster (1991) 133: Find out if Roman is playing sticky fingers with our bread. |