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

The old Penelope would never have taken it without permission, but Penelope “Sticky Fingers” Lumley, master criminal and friend to pirates, had no such hesitation.

From Literature

I soon follow suit and, with sticky fingers, reach for all the candies that have caught my eye: super lemon sour suckers, pink lemonade gushers, muscat gummies and soda-flavored hard candies.

From Salon

I think he played “Sticky Fingers” from the Rolling Stones.

From Los Angeles Times

Investigators then reached out to the California State Attorney Generals’ Office to request assistance in investigating the thefts, dubbed operation “Sticky Fingers.”

From Los Angeles Times

One fuzzy blink after another — and always just an inch from the grasp of sticky fingers — the lightning bugs begin to fill the air.

From Salon