sticky fingers

American  

plural noun

Informal.

1. a propensity to steal.

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sticky fingers Idioms  

1. A propensity to steal, as in You'd better not leave any cash around; she's known for her sticky fingers. This metaphor makes it seem as if valuables adhere naturally to a thief's fingers. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

• sticky-fingered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sticky fingers

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay sought reassurance that Murrell "didn't get his sticky fingers on any public money".

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

“I clean 13 rooms a day,” said Dorado, who added that mini-suites with kids are the toughest, because they bring in sand from the beach and smudge the windows with sticky fingers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2023

The saliva coats the papillae, which can act like tiny sticky fingers to help grip prey, David Hu, a biomechanics researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his colleagues reported in 2017.

From Science Magazine • May 24, 2023

She passes like a ponytailed Pistol Pete Maravich and she has the sticky fingers of a subway pickpocket.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2023

When they had eaten five or six apiece, they licked their sticky fingers clean and started to explore again.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau