sticky fingers
Pilfering habit, anatomically
Sticky fingers refers to a tendency to steal, especially petty theft or shoplifting.
Someone with sticky fingers can't resist pocketing things: Watch your wallet around him—he's got sticky fingers.
The image is of fingers so adhesive that objects stick to them involuntarily.
Less commonly, sticky fingers are literally gummy or tacky from food residue: The kids had sticky fingers after eating cotton candy. (Capitalized Sticky Fingers is the Rolling Stones album.)
Minor, sneaky theft
- shopliftingStealing store merchandise
- pickpocketingTheft from pockets
- filchingStealing small items
- swipingTaking something swiftly
snatching · larceny · purloining · petty theft · pocketing · lifting · stealing · thievery
Someone who plays tricks
- troublemakerOne who creates discord
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- naughtyMildly disobedient
- playfulInclined toward fun
roguish · cheeky · rascal · scamp · sneaky · pilfering · cookie jar · grabby
Material that bonds objects
Fraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- skimmingPassing lightly over
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- graftIllicit political gain
- kickbacksIllegal return payments
misappropriation · peculation · cooking the books · fraud · crooked · palm-greasing · shady
Irresistible urge to act
- impulse controlRegulating sudden urges
- kleptomaniacOne who steals compulsively
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- therapyCurative mental treatment
anxiety · guilt · shame · psychiatry · uncontrollable · habitual · pathological · recurrent
Greedy for wealth
- acquisitiveDesiring material gain
- covetousEagerly wanting others' possessions
- grabbyEager to seize
- avariciousExcessively desirous of wealth
materialistic · hoarding · possessive · selfish · insatiable · rapacious · money-grubbing
pilfering
Minor, sneaky theft
- shopliftingStealing store merchandise
- pickpocketingTheft from pockets
- filchingStealing small items
swiping · snatching · larceny · purloining · petty theft · pocketing · lifting · stealing · thievery · cutpurse
prankster
Someone who plays tricks
- troublemakerOne who creates discord
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- naughtyMildly disobedient
playful · roguish · cheeky · rascal · scamp · sneaky · pilfering · cookie jar · grabby · misbehaving
adhesive
Material that bonds objects
residue · honey · syrup · jam · candy · caramel · sap · tape · glue · paste
embezzlement
Fraudulent taking of entrusted assets
kickbacks · misappropriation · peculation · cooking the books · fraud · crooked · palm-greasing · shady
compulsion
Irresistible urge to act
- impulse controlRegulating sudden urges
- kleptomaniacOne who steals compulsively
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
therapy · anxiety · guilt · shame · psychiatry · uncontrollable · habitual · pathological · recurrent · thrill-seeking
grasping
Greedy for wealth
- acquisitiveDesiring material gain
- covetousEagerly wanting others' possessions
- grabbyEager to seize
avaricious · materialistic · hoarding · possessive · selfish · insatiable · rapacious · money-grubbing
sticky fingersclean hands
Freedom from wrongdoing
honesty · integrity · trustworthiness · probity · rectitude
sticky fingerstrustworthiness
Quality of being reliable
trustworthy · reliable · dependable · hands off · light-fingered
sticky, finger, stuck, fingers, sticking, stickiness, unstuck, fingered, stickier