Sticky-finger
verb, slang ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 To steal, to pilfer; to make off with (something). idiomatic, informal
"[…] "picking up" a few essential supplies, writing post-cards, and watching our Cockney comedian soft-soap the sales-girls while he sticky-fingered a few personal necessities."
- 2 Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sticky, finger. To touch or finger something which is sticky, or with fingers that are sticky.
"... drove into town and bought a takeaway at a dingy working-class cafe. Then I drove up Signal Hill and in the stark, early morning light, the bay still covered in mist, watched the sun rise, sticky-fingering sausages and chips in contentment."
Example
More examples"[…] "picking up" a few essential supplies, writing post-cards, and watching our Cockney comedian soft-soap the sales-girls while he sticky-fingered a few personal necessities."
Etymology
Compare sticky fingers, sticky-fingered.
More for "sticky-finger"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.