English Reference
Idiom idiom

sticky fingers


An inclination to steal.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Keep an eye on him, he has sticky fingers.

CONTEXTUAL

The shop owner keeps his expensive items behind glass because some customers have sticky fingers.

COMPLEX

The manager suspected the employee had sticky fingers after several small amounts of cash went missing from the register.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all fingers and thumbs

    Of a person, clumsy or awkward.

  2. 02

    burn one's fingers

    To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.

  3. 03

    come to a sticky end

    To die unpleasantly due to one's actions.

  4. 04

    fat finger

    A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen devices.

  5. 05

    finger in the pie

    A share in the doing of something; involvement.

  6. 06

    finger to the wind

    An attention to or focus on or awareness of current or prevailing trends, public opinion, or shifting circumstances.

  7. 07

    fucked by the fickle finger of fate

    Victimized by bad luck.

  8. 08

    get one's finger out

    To proceed with the matter in hand.

Last updated August 10, 2026