British Slang For Thief (12 Examples!)

Thieves, as far as we can tell, have been around as long as people have.

If someone has called something theirs, there has been someone around who wanted to take it without their permission.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to a lot of colorful language being used to describe thieves and their nefarious ways.

British slang is some of the most archaic in the world, and so many of its slang terms are very old and varied—including thief.

Today, we’re going to look at a few examples of this slang.

Let’s get started.

In This Article

Appropriator

Starting off with one we might call a euphemism rather than outright slang, we have “appropriator”.

This one is fairly straightforward—to appropriate something is to take it from its rightful owners.

By extension, to be an appropriator is to be a thief. “I won’t leave my things lying around with that appropriator about,” for example.

This one is a fairly old term, the root word having its origin in the Late Latin appropriatus, which means “to make one’s own”.

In Middle English this became appropriate, which later developed into “appropriator” somewhat later on.

Precisely when, though, we aren’t sure.

Cribber

To be a cribber has perhaps a slightly more specific meaning than just a thief.

However, it has over time developed to mean simply a thief to some British English speakers.

Originally, and still today for many people, a cribber is someone who plagiarizes the work of others.

They “crib” from them, making them a sort of “intellectual thief”.

“That was my idea! He’s such a cribber!” for example.

The origin of the word itself is quite clear, although it’s not clear how it got this sense.

It seems to have arisen out of the word for crib, as in a baby’s bed, sometime in the late Middle Ages. It’s just not clear, unfortunately.

Swiper

This is another one that is more or less self-explanatory.

To swipe something is to take it swiftly and stealthily, without the owner’s permission.

Out of this arose the noun “swiper” to mean a thief, someone who takes things that aren’t theirs.

The sense could range from someone who might steal a fry from your plate to a full-on, career pickpocket.

“He’s a swiper, I wouldn’t let him in your house,” for example.

Again, it’s not entirely clear where this one originates.

It was first being used in the 18^th Century, as best we can tell.

It was most likely at first a variant of “sweep”, which obviously has a couple of senses.

One is of “sweeping” a house of things to steal.

Poacher

Next we have “poacher”, a word with a variety of associations in English.

As slang, though, in Britain, to be a poacher means to be a thief.

Again, it can have very broad or very specific connotations.

On the one hand, it might simply mean any kind of thief. It can be someone who tries to steal wild game illegally.

On the other, it can also mean someone who tries to steal employees from one business for another.

“That new computer store over the street has just tried to poach my best salesman,” for example.

In Britain today, poaching is naturally not very common—so this usage is more likely.

Nonetheless, all senses come from the same root origin.

The sense of a poacher being someone who steals game illegally comes from around the early 16^th Century, when it was still very much an egregious crime to hunt game in certain forbidden parts of the countryside.

Royal forests, for example.

Sticky fingers

“Sticky fingers” is perhaps among the more common slang terms in Britain today for a thief.

To have sticky fingers means exactly what it sounds like.

Someone who cannot seem to put things down which are not their own, to whose fingers valuable objects seem to “stick”.

Most people throughout Britain will understand what this term is trying to express. “I know you’ve got sticky fingers so I’ve made sure to count all the money that’s in there,” for example.

This term, like many slang terms for thief, originated in the mid-19^th Century.

More than that, though, we cannot really say for sure other than that it likely was first used in the south of England.

Tea leaf

“Tea leaf” might sound a strange and unfamiliar slang term even to a lot of British people.

It is a highly regional example, being a piece of Cockney rhyming slang.

The simple explanation of the meaning is that “tea leaf” rhymes with “thief”.

Such is the way that rhyming slang works.

“I’m not inviting that tea leaf to the wedding, I’ll never see the silverware again,” for example.

Cockney rhyming slang is often hard to trace in origin.

Again, there’s really nothing more complicated about it than that it rhymes with thief. It was probably first used in the late 19^th to early 20^th Centuries.

Twocker

Twocker is another one with a variety of potential meanings.

It can just have the general sense of thief of any kind.

However, more commonly, a twocker or twoccer is someone who steals cars for the purpose of joyriding.

It’s generally understood to have this meaning, although some may indeed use it in the sense of just any thief.

This slang term is actually an acronym. “

TWOC” is a term for thief because it stands for “taking without owner’s consent”.

This has a very clear and specific origin, having been the language used in the Theft Act of 1968.

The language specifically related to car theft.

Rustler

Next we have “rustler”, another historically very specific term which has broadened to become a more general slang term for thief.

In the past, one who “rustles” was someone who stole cattle or other livestock from farms and ranches.

In Britain today, it can just mean any kind of thief, though it is not the most common slang term.

The word originates in Middle English, where rustelen meant “to make a noise”.

When this came to mean someone who “rustles” cattle is not quite clear, but by the end of the last century, it had come to mean a thief of any kind.

Jackroller

“Jackroller” is another quite specific term that has been used both in Britain and in the US for some time.

This term refers to a certain kind of thief, someone who targets drunken or incapacitated people for stealing.

It’s perhaps not the most common slang term in Britain today and is somewhat obsolete, but is still understood by many people.

“Watch out for jackrollers on your way home tonight,” for example.

The term seems to come from a 1930 book called The Jack Roller, telling the story of a boy released from a State Reformatory who targeted drunken people for thievery.

Nicholas’ Clerk

Though this one is more of an archaism, it’s still a very interesting example of British slang for thief.

You are probably familiar with St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, giver of gifts and the basis for Santa Clause.

But in fact that very same 4^th Century bishop was also the patron saint of thieves. In this way, to be his “clerk” meant to be a thief.

Specifically, it meant a highwayman—which tells you how old this term is!

It dates back to at least 1589, where author Thomas Nashe talks about “Saint Nicholas Clarkes” on Salisbury plain.

Further than that, though, we aren’t sure of its origin.

Filcher

Next we have “filcher”, another very common British slang term for thief.

This is one which is very much widely used today, and understood by just about everyone in Britain from the north of Scotland to the south of England.

To filch something is to steal it, and thus to be a “filcher” is to be a thief.

“We’re surrounded by filchers, watch your bags,” for example.

It is another one that’s very old in origin. It comes from the Middle English filchen, which meant simply to steal. It may relate to the Old English fylcian, which meant to marshal troops—however, its origin beyond Middle English really is not certain.

Pincher

Finally we have “pincher”.

To “pinch” meaning to steal is a very common British idiom, again used throughout the country by just about everyone.

The sense is usually quite clear to non-British people, too.

“He’s a pincher, don’t trust him,” for example.

The word’s origin is not completely clear, although pinchen in Middle English already had the sense of “to steal”.

It may have come from the Vulgar Latin pinciare, which meant to puncture or pinch.

We just aren’t sure, though.

British slang is more than well equipped to call a thief a thief, then.

Whether you’re using Cockney rhyming slang or some obscure theological reference, there are plenty of ways to refer to a thief in Britain.

Again, thieves are and always have been a central part of any criminal culture—they’ve always been around, and in the dense urban environments of Britain, this is all the more true.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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