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Glite Dictionary
light-fingered

light-fingered

1 8.2
Good at stealing small things quickly from people's pockets or bags
  • adjective
  • /ˈlaɪtˌfɪŋɡərd/
translation icon : hábil para robar
  • LIGHT-FINGERED.

Examples

  • Guys, you are without a doubt the sneakiest, most light-fingered thieving parasites l've ever met.

    Chicken Run (2000)

  • Our light-fingered larcenist.

    The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

  • They got some light-fingered kids hang out there.

    Desperation (2006)

  • Yeah, light-fingered they said she was, but nobody ever pinned her down.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Well, if it ain't the light-fingered Skippy.

    One Way Passage (1932)

  • The light-fingered thief swiftly took the wallet from the unsuspecting tourist.

  • She has light-fingered skills, easily crafting intricate designs with her nimble hands.

  • Always light-fingered, he would skillfully snatch coins from the table without anyone noticing.

Synonyms

dexterous
vslight-fingered
3 7.2

Good at using hands to do careful tasks

focuses more on secret stealing skill rather than broad manual ability
dextrous
vslight-fingered
1 6.8

Good at moving the hands quickly and carefully

is narrower and often means quick stealing skill rather than general physical agility
nimble-fingered
vslight-fingered
7.7

Able to move the fingers quickly and skillfully for small exact tasks

is used for stealthy theft rather than for general hand skill

Antonyms

clumsy
73 1.2

Moving in an awkward, unsteady way that causes accidents

How Skillful

light-fingered
1 8.2
dexterous
3 7.2
nimble
6 4.0
awkward
33 3.0
clumsy
73 1.2

Surface Forms

light-fingered positive

Morphology

light-fingered = light + finger (semi-transparent) = light + finger + ed

The compound 'light-finger' + '-ed' transparently suggests 'having nimble fingers', but the idiomatic extension to 'inclined to steal' requires cultural/figurative knowledge.

Etymology

Light-fingered is made of light ('not heavy' or 'gentle') and fingered (from 'finger'), so it suggests someone whose fingers touch things very lightly. So a light-fingered person is quick and quiet with their hands and often steals small things without people noticing.