finders keepers; losers weepers

1 7.4

Says the person who finds something can keep it and the person who lost it cannot complain

idiom

Informal

: el que encuentra, se queda; el que pierde, llora

I found this wallet, so it's finders keepers; losers weepers!

Examples

In the playground, the children argued over a toy until one invoked the old rule: finders keepers; losers weepers.
After spotting an abandoned umbrella at the café, Sarah joked, "Well, finders keepers; losers weepers."
When her brother found the dollar bill on the floor, he shouted, "finders keepers; losers weepers!"
It's finders keepers; losers weepers!
When her brother found the dollar bill on the floor, he shouted, "finders keepers; losers weepers!"
In the playground, the children argued over a toy until one invoked the old rule: finders keepers; losers weepers.
After spotting an abandoned umbrella at the café, Sarah joked, "Well, finders keepers; losers weepers."

Synonyms

finders keepers

vsfinders keepers; losers weepers

Informal

8 7.4

A saying people use when someone picks up a lost thing and does not give it back

adds that the previous owner cannot complain about losing the item

Surface Forms

finders keepers; losers weepers main

Morphology

finder + keepers; + loser + weeper

The proverb's meaning is directly and transparently derivable from the constituents: 'finders' + 'keepers' conveys that those who find something keep it, and 'losers' + 'weepers' conveys that those who lose will be upset. Although it's presented as a rhyming, elliptical proverb, the semantic relations are literal and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows the component words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Finders keepers; losers weepers is an old saying that gives a simple picture: the finders keep what they find, while the losers become weepers, people who cry. So, it means 'whoever finds something can keep it'.