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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

sticky-fingered en · ADJ

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, informal) Of a person, inclined or prone to steal, especially of engaging in petty theft while handling money or goods.
    • A sticky-fingered teller was charged with stealing more than $190000 from her Queens bank in the past four months. 2004 May 8, Jonathan LeMire, “Queens Teller Swiped 190G, Cops Say”, in New York Daily News, retrieved 22 Jul 2011:
    • Well, she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina / She's a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize 1991, “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego”, Sean Altman, David Yazbek (music):
    • Sticky-fingered customers and employees make off with $9 billion in merchandise annually. 1990 December 17, “The Five-Fingered Discount”, in Time:
  2. (idiomatic) Skillful in catching or handling the ball, in such games as baseball, football, basketball, etc.
    • Chicago's sticky-fingered defense intercepted five of YA Tittle's passes. 1963 December 30, “Bears Win, 14 to 10; Take Title”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 22 Jul 2011, page 13:
    • His batting average has hovered in the .330s all season and he has played his usual sticky-fingered defense at second. 2007 June 13, Jon Krawczynski, “Twins 7, Braves 3”, in USA Today, retrieved 22 Jul 2011:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more sticky-fingered Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most sticky-fingered Degree=Sup lexicographic

Relateds

sticky fingers

Translations (2)

la tagax (possessing the behavioural trait of stealing) · pl o lepkich rękach (possessing the behavioural trait of stealing)