crumb snatcher
- noun
- Informal
:
ladrón de migas
- I have to keep an eye on that little crumb snatcher; he’ll steal food right off your plate.
Examples
-
Whenever my toddler sees a cookie, he's a real crumb snatcher, grabbing crumbs from the table.
-
The dog is such a crumb snatcher; he always sneaks into the kitchen for leftovers.
-
It's that little crumb snatcher.
Synonyms
5
9.9
A person who often steals small things
2
7.6
A person who secretly steals things without using force
1
7.3
A person who steals small things without using force
A person who steals things secretly
How Sneaky
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'crumb' (small piece of food) + 'snatcher' (one who seizes or steals); a learner who knows both words can infer 'someone who quickly takes crumbs/leftover food'. The noun-noun/compound pattern is a regular, cross-linguistically common composition and although informal, the sense is predictable, so it will be understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Crumb snatcher comes from the clear picture of a small child or pet quickly grabbing a crumb from a table, like a little snatcher taking tiny bits of food. So it describes someone who takes 'leftovers' or snacks in a 'sneaky' way.