sticky fingers
plural noun Informal.
a propensity to steal.
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Origin of sticky fingers
First recorded in 1930–35
OTHER WORDS FROM sticky fingers
stick·y-fin·gered [stik-ee-fing-gerd] /ˈstɪk iˈfɪŋ gərd/, adjectiveWords nearby sticky fingers
stickwork, sticky, sticky blood, sticky bun, sticky end, sticky fingers, sticky note, sticky rice, sticky wicket, sticky willie, sticky-fingered
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for sticky-fingered
“All this is on Sammy,” Perry said, pointing at the huge barbecue smoker, the crowds of sticky-fingered gorgers.
Makers|Cory DoctorowWomen with slim-shanked, whining, sticky-fingered children dragging after them.
A Book of Burlesques|H. L. Mencken
British Dictionary definitions for sticky-fingered
sticky-fingered
adjective
informal given to thieving
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with sticky-fingered
sticky fingers
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.