Criminal word for stealing

We all grow up being told stealing is wrong, and of course it is. But the reality is, it does happen. ranging from petty theft to more serious crimes. It’s an uncomfortable topic, hence people have come up with slang words to refer to it.

Here are some slang words people use to refer to stealing or stealing-related activities. 

Slang Words for Stealing (in Alphabetical Order)

Blag

Meaning:

• (Verb) A slang word of British origins. Means to rob someone, normally, in a violent manner. 
• Example: I was lazily walking with a brief case at the parking lot when someone beat me up to blag me.

Bleed Dry

Meaning:

• (Verb) To take all of someone’s money or resources. Not necessarily used for robbery or stealing but is often associated with it.
• Example: The taxes are making me bleed dry. I can’t hold my business for much longer.

Bogart

Meaning:

• (Verb) A song in the 1960s called “Don’t Bogart Me” popularized the term. It means to hog, hoard, or steal everything of something. 
• Example: Don’t bogart all of the cake. Mom made it for all of us to share.

Boost

Meaning:

• (Verb) A slang word in the United States that may have come from the Scottish Dialect. It means to sneakily steal something.
• Example: I was just innocently checking out the titles at the record store when the manager suspected me of boosting.

Borrowing Without Permission

Meaning:

• (Verb) A euphemistic slang often used in movies. It means to take something or steal it to return it later (or not).
• Example: We are not stealing the car, we are just borrowing without permission from uncle Roger.

Carp

Meaning:

• (Verb) To steal or take something, usually something that is insignificant. 
• Example: The kids carped some cookies from the jar because they thought it was for them.

Chav

Meaning:

• (Verb) Originally a derogatory British slang for lower-class youths, it became associated with the act of stealing perpetrated by the aforementioned group.
• Example: Gangs often have tactics to misdirect your focus and chav your belongings.

Clean Out

Meaning:

• (Verb) Similar to Bleed Dry, this slang means to take all of someone’s money and things. Used often in robberies. 
• Example: The convenience store got cleaned out by some teenagers during the night.

Cozen

Meaning:

• (Verb) To steal, defraud, cheat someone. The word appeared during the 16th century and was used often in the criminal undergrounds. 
• Example: Grant was very much heartless since he cozened his own dad’s savings.

Debo

Meaning:

• (Verb) To steal or take something usually through intimidation. This word is based on “Deebo” in the film “Friday.”

Gaffle

Meaning:

• (Verb) A Bay Area slang that mainly means to acquire something wrongfully, maybe through scamming or stealing. 
• Example: My car stereo was gaffled while I was parked for just 10 minutes.

Gank

Meaning:

• (Verb) To be swindled or cheated on something.
• Example: Laurie got ganked when she rented her house out. 

Five-Finger Discount

Meaning:

• (Noun) The act of shoplifting or stealing merchandise from a shop.
• Example: Rick used his five-finger discount to get the new iPhone.

Half-Inch

Meaning:

• (Verb) Cockney Rhyming slang for stealing or pinching. 
• Example: Daniel half-inched some bread for his sick mother. 

Highway Robbery

Meaning:

• (Noun) A scenario in which you pay excess for something and you feel that is akin to you being robbed in broad daylight. 
• Example: The price of the new laptops they released is highway robbery.

Horch

Meaning:

• (Verb) Originally a derogatory term that combines “whore” and “roach” but it later became synonymous with stealing. 
• Example: You just had to horch a pretty eraser?! Now, we have to get reprimanded. 

Knocked Off

Meaning:

• (Verb) To rob or steal.
• Example: CJ and the crew are planning to knock off a bank.  

Lift

Meaning:

• (Verb) Dating back to 16th century London, lift was used to describe the act of pickpocketing or stealing.
• Example: Ron, a street kid, lifted the guy’s wallet without him knowing.

Loot

Meaning:

• (Verb) To rob a place of their items or money. Usually occurs in a riot or times of unrest.
• Example: After the aftermath of the manifestations, there lootings left and right.

Misappropriate

Meaning:

• (Verb) In law or the professional setting, it means utilizing funds or resources improperly. It became a euphemistic slang for stealing money and using them for your personal needs.
• Example: The gang boss misappropriated the loot and spent it on expensive vacations, instead of distributing it with us.  

Mugger

Meaning:

• (Noun) Someone who attacks and robs you violently. Used often in the UK and other former British territories. 
• Example: Muggers are rampant due to the relaxed police force. 

Nick

Meaning:

• (Noun) Usage began during the 1860s, nicked was similar to mugging and referred to stealing or thieving. 
• Example: Before I knew it, I had my phone nicked from my bag. 

Palm

Meaning:

• (Verb) To palm something means to steal it and hide it in your palms. 
• Example: Trey would palm a buck from his mom’s purse when she wasn’t looking. 

Pinch

Meaning:

• (Verb) A famous British slang associated with pickpockets and thieves. 
• Example: Oliver was a street orphan who learned early how to pinch from strangers.

Pocket

Meaning:

• (Verb) To pocket something means to take something and hide it. This term comes from the fact that thieves would take something and hide it in their pockets. 
• Example: It was just wrong that he was proud that he pocketed some cash from his grandpa. 

Prig

Meaning:

• (Verb) Originally used in Northern England and Britain, prig means to steal something or acquire something through unfair haggling. 
• Example: The little rascal prigged so much in the market that the police were alerted. 

Punk

Meaning:

• (Verb) A general term for any bad acts that were done to someone. It may be a simple prank or an act of theft. 
• Example: Jackson had to punk someone’s bike just to get in the fraternity. 

Rip Off

Meaning:

• (Verb) This slang phrase is mainly used when you get swindled, cheated, or defrauded. However, it can also be used in cases of theft and robberies. 
• Example: Anton ripped off the wrong dude. The man is an actual mafia don. 

Smash And Grab

Meaning:

• (Noun) A robbery done by smashing a window and quickly taking the goods. 
• Example: Trevor was known throughout the neighborhood for his fast smash and grab skills. 

Snake

Meaning:

• (Verb) To steal or deceive someone without them knowing.
• Example: The housekeeper snaked my dad’s prized watch collections. She thinks she can easily get away with it.

Snitch

Meaning:

• (Verb) Famously used to refer to when someone betrays you. It can also be used to denote stealing and is thought of as a variation of the word “snatch”
• Example: The baby swiftly snitched the cookies while everyone was distracted. 

Swipe

Meaning:

• (Verb) A more gentle and innocent way of saying “stealing.” Very much popularized by “Dora the Explorer.”
• Example: Lupin swiped the diamonds right in front of their eyes. 

Take Off

Meaning:

• (Verb) To flee while taking the belongings of someone. 
• Example: The fake investment agent took off with all of our savings.

Trouser

Meaning:

• (Verb) In British English, it means to take something unlawfully. 
• Example: Jimmy trousered some cash from his mum and dad. Both were screaming when they found out.

Twoc

Meaning:

• (Verb) In England and most parts of the UK, twoc is slang meaning to take a vehicle without the permission of the owner. Twoc has also been used for stealing other objects besides a car. 
• Example: His motorbike got twocced by the Grooch Close gang. He might still find it in a chopshop.

Whiz

Meaning:

• (Verb) Stealing or taking. Usually used by small-time pickpockets and thieves in the UK.  
• Example: I just whizzed enough cash from that gentleman for the whole week.  

Whiz Mob

Meaning:

• (Noun) Refers to a gang or group of pickpockets or thieves in the United Kingdom.
• Example: Whiz mobs often coordinate to prevent police and targets from getting back their items. 

CRIME DEFINITION CRIMINAL abduction taking someone away by force, demanding money for their safe return arson setting fire to a building, cars or property on purpose arsonist assassination killing a famous person or public figure assassin assault attacking someone physically assailant bigamy marrying someone when you are already married to another person bigamist blackmail threatening to reveal someone’s secrets if a lot of money is not paid blackmailer* bombing detonating an explosive device with the plan of harming people or property bomber bribery giving money or granting favors to influence another person’s decisions or behavior briber* burglary breaking into a house in order to steal something burglar child abuse treating a child badly in a physical, emotional, or sexual way child abuser corruption behaving illegally and dishonestly; especially those in power crime doing something illegal that can be punished by law criminal cybercrime doing something illegal over the Internet or a computer system cyber criminal
hacker** domestic violence behaving violently inside the home drunk driving driving with too much alcohol in your blood drunk driver embezzlement stealing large amounts of money that you are responsible for, often over a period of time embezzler espionage spying, to obtain political or military information spy forgery illegally copying documents, money, etc. to cheat people forger fraud getting money from people by cheating them con artist
fraud genocide killing on purpose a large number of people, especially from a particular group or area hijacking taking control of a plane, train etc by force, often to meet political demands hijacker hit and run not stopping to help a person hurt in an accident caused by you homicide killing another person on purpose hooliganism being violent or aggressive on purpose; often used to describe youth hooligan identity theft using someone else’s personal information for one’s own gain kidnapping taking someone away by force, often demanding money for their safe return kidnapper libel damaging someone’s reputation by writing lies about them looting taking things illegally and by force, during a riot, war, etc. looter lynching killing someone without legal process, often by hanging, often by an angry mob manslaughter killing someone by accident mugging attacking someone with a plan to rob them mugger murder killing someone on purpose murderer perjury lying in court, while under oath pickpocketing stealing wallets, money, etc. from people’s pockets in crowded places pickpocketer pilfering stealing small quantities of goods over time poaching hunting illegally poacher rape forcing someone to have sex rapist riot causing a noisy, violent public disturbance rioter robbery stealing large amounts of money with force or violence from a bank, store, etc. robber shoplifting stealing something from a store shoplifter slander damaging someone’s reputation by speaking lies about them smuggling taking things secretly in or out of a place, country, jail, etc. smuggler speeding driving above the speed limit terrorism using violence, threats, or fear, usually for political purposes terrorist theft stealing, in general thief trafficking trading something illegal like drugs, people, etc. treason betraying one’s country by helping its enemies traitor trespassing entering another person’s area; hurting people/damaging property through force trespasser vandalism destroying private or public property purposely vandal voyeurism secretly watching naked people or sexual acts & getting sexually excited voyeur

LARCENY: THEFT CHARGES NSW DEFENCE LAWYERS

Larceny, the word that criminal lawyers use to describe the offence of stealing, is a serious crime. Courts can impose sentences of imprisonment where large amounts of money or expensive items are stolen, or where a person is a repeat offender. For first offenders, the courts may record convictions and other penalties involving criminal records. A good criminal lawyer will often be the difference between prison and freedom, or no criminal record with a section 10 and a conviction.

What is Larceny?

Larceny is the legal word for stealing or theft. Larceny can be committed in many ways from stealing chocolate at a supermarket to stealing cash out of a register. The value of the property stolen can be sentimental or worth millions of dollars. 

Our criminal lawyers have great success in defending a Larceny charge and having our clients found not guilty. We use a range of defences, including identification (it wasn’t you who stole the property), arguing the property wasn’t stolen, that you intended to return the property, or that the property belonged to you. 

If you intend to plead guilty to larceny (e.g., stealing or theft charge), our criminal lawyers have a proven track record of not only keeping our clients out of jail but having no conviction recorded for larceny offences. 

What is the law for larceny in NSW?

Larceny is theft or stealing which is the taking of somebody else’s property. Larceny is non-violent theft, as opposed to a robbery, and doesn’t involve the taking of property directly from a person, as would occur with the offence of stealing from a person. An example of larceny is shoplifting, taking something from someone’s bag when they are not looking, or stealing from a premise that you have a legal right to be in.

The offence of larceny is defined by the High Court of Australia in the case of Ilich v R (1987) HCA 1:

A person steals who, without the consent of the owner, fraudulently and without a claim of right made in good faith, takes and carries away anything capable of being stolen with intent, at the time of such taking, permanently to deprive the owner thereof.

The punishment for larceny is dealt with in the Crimes Act 1900 in section 117. The maximum penalty is 5 years imprisonment in the District Court and 2 years imprisonment in the Local Court. While the Crimes Act provides the penalties for larceny, it is a common-law offence (based on judicial decisions) with cases such as Ilich setting out what the police must prove beyond a reasonable doubt to successfully prosecute the chare.

Larceny vs. Theft?

Larceny is a legal term, developed over hundreds of years, and which has a specific legal meaning in that a person took and carried away property belonging to another person, without that person’s consent, and with an intention to permanently deprive the owner of the property.

Theft, on the other hand, is a word used to describe a much broader range of dishonesty offences including larceny, identity theft, robbery, armed robbery, fraud, embezzlement, receiving stolen property and more.

The use of the words theft and larceny are sometimes misused due to the influence of American popular culture. Petty Theft, common theft, and grand larceny are American offences. The American offences of petty theft, common theft, and grand larceny are differentiated by the value of the property stolen. In NSW, the offence of one offence of larceny covers all the conduct contained in the three American offences and whilst the maximum penalty will change, depending on the value of the property stolen, the offence charged is always larceny itself.

Punishment for Theft Australia: Larceny penalties

The maximum punishment for larceny in NSW is five years imprisonment.

However, if the matter is heard in the Local Court, the penalties are dependent on the value of the property stolen.   

The following maximum penalties apply:

• Value exceeding $5,000: Maximum penalty is limited to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of $11,000;
• Value does not exceed $5,000: Maximum penalty is 12 months imprisonment and/or a fine of $5,500;
• Value does not exceed $2,000: Maximum penalty is two years imprisonment and/or a fine of $2,200.

Alternate penalties for larceny

There are several alternate penalties available to the court for larceny offences.  They are all considered to be more favourable punishments for theft charges.  These include

• Section 10 – No conviction recorded
• Fine
• Community service order
• Intensive correction order

Our criminal lawyers are experts at getting the best possible outcomes for theft charges.  This includes receiving section 10’s no convictions recorded for charges of larceny.   Section 10 means avoiding a criminal record even if you plead guilty to having committed a theft. 

How do I beat a larceny charge? 

You will be found not guilty of the offence of Stealing (Larceny) if the police cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. You took and carried away property; and
2. That property belonged to another person; and
3. You intended to permanently deprive the owner of that property; and
4. The taking was done without the consent of the owner.

Defences for larceny

There must be an intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property which intent must exist at the time of the taking so that if the obtaining of the property is innocent a later intent to steal is insufficient. If the accused takes the property without having decided whether to keep it or not, he does not commit Larceny.

The claim of right is a defence against Larceny. A person will have a claim of right where they possess a genuine belief that they have a bona fide claim of right to certain money. If you believed you were entitled to take the property, it does not matter that you did not believe you were entitled to take it in the manner you did.

Where you have committed larceny because you were threatened to do so or forced to do so due to the threat of serious harm to you or a loved one, it was reasonable to do so given the circumstances, the defence of “duress” can be used.

Pleading guilty to larceny

If you agree that you have committed the offence (and the police are able to prove so), it is best to plead guilty as you will normally receive a discount on your sentence.  By pleading guilty, you are demonstrating to the court that you are remorseful which the court looks favourably on.

Alternatively, it may be the case that one of our experienced solicitors can negotiate with prosecutors for you to plead guilty to less serious facts or even a less serious charge.

If you plan on pleading guilty, we recommend preparing written character references.  Ask family members, friends, colleagues, managers, or anyone else suitable to write good reference letters to the court that show you in a good light. We believe references are an extremely important part of a plea of guilty in court. Visit our Court Processes and References page for more information about how to write a good reference. 

What factors will the court consider in sentencing for larceny?

The court will consider several factors when deciding the appropriate penalty for larceny.  These are the “objective factors” which determine the objective seriousness of the larceny offence in comparison to other cases of larceny as well as the “Subjective factors” or the defendants’ subjective circumstances

Objective Factors

• Value of the property stolen – The higher the value the more serious the crime.
• What was stollen – The courts differentiate items stolen out of need (e.g., food) vs. for materialistic reasons (e.g., designer clothes).
• Planning and sophistication – The more time the defendant took to plan the offence the more opportunity they had to consider their actions. As such, the court looks more harshly on offences that were well planned or required a high level of sophistication vs. those enacted on a whim.
• Personal use vs. profit – If the defendant stole the item with the intention to sell it for profit, the courts consider this a more serious crime.
• Alone or part of a group – Crimes involving a group of people require a higher level of planning and sophistication. They are therefore considered more serious by the courts.

Subjective factors

• Criminal record of the defendant and if this is the first offence
• Age and maturity of the defendant.
• Financial circumstances of the defendant
• Their family circumstances and their upbringing
• The defendant’s education and employment
• Their mental health; and
• Steps were taken by the defendant to rehabilitate

First offence, larceny offence            

The courts will often impose more lenient sentences for first-time offenders. If you have no prior criminal record, then depending on the value of what you stole and how the offence was committed, a good criminal defence lawyer is likely to be able to argue for you to receive a lenient sentence.

A criminal record involving larceny can seriously impact your life. Being convicted of larceny shows you aren’t trustworthy and so can impact your prospects for work and career development.  A good criminal defence lawyer can help you avoid a criminal conviction for your first offence of larceny with section 10.

What to do if arrested for larceny, theft or stealing

For serious cases of larceny, you could be facing penalties as harsh as imprisonment.  As such, we recommend that you contact an experienced defence lawyer a.s.a.p. to help you get the best outcomes for your case.

Your criminal defence lawyer will be able to assess the circumstances of the offence and determine the right strategy for your case. They will help build the best defence for you and help you navigate the tricky legal system.

Australian Criminal Law Group have a team of defence lawyers experienced in representing clients for larceny offences. We know how to get you the best results, beat charges and/or avoid a criminal conviction.  We have a track record for getting section 10s with no conviction for our clients who have been charged for common theft (larceny). 

Australian criminal law group for defending theft charges

Our criminal lawyers are experts at obtaining the best outcome possible for Larceny offences. For these offences, a good lawyer can be the difference between a conviction and no criminal record and freedom or jail. 

To discuss your Larceny charge, call Australian Criminal Law Group at our Sydney, Parramatta, and Blacktown offices or make a website inquiry today.

Case Study

Mr Correy represented a young woman who plead guilty to stealing more than $5,000.00 from a deposit box at a bank. Mr Correy submitted that stealing was impulsive and that the young woman had been neglected by her mother in that she had been taking her daughter’s wage to gamble for much of her working life, which affected her ability in that split moment to distinguish right from wrong. The Magistrate agreed with Mr Correy’s submissions and dealt with the matter pursuant to section 10, meaning no conviction was recorded.

Case Study

Mr Correy represented a man who had a gambling addiction and had been charged with stealing $15,000.00 from the account of a customer at a bank where he worked. He was not charged until four years after the stealing. Mr Correy submitted in the four years, he had addressed his gambling addiction and there was no good reason for the delay in bringing the charges, which he had lost his job over. Mr Correy submitted he had rebuilt his life and may lose his new career if a conviction was recorded. Given the delay, the Magistrate agreed and dealt with the matter pursuant to section 10, meaning no conviction was recorded.

Case Study

Australian Criminal Law Group represented a man charged with Larceny. The police found him with another person’s phone immediately after the person’s car had been broken into. The person whose phone was stolen did not wish to give evidence at court and did not. Our criminal lawyer objected to any evidence of the phone being in the car as being hearsay. As such, the police could not prove the phone was stolen and the magistrate found our client not guilty. 

Case Study

Mr Correy represented a man charged with a supply of 32g of cocaine, larceny (stealing of $5,000, and possessing housebreaking implements after he stole a safe from a drug dealer and broke into it. Mr Correy successfully argued his client was a drug user who had opportunistically ripped off another criminal, putting himself in danger to feed his habit. The judge agreed and did not send Mr Correy’s client to jail. 

Case Study

Australian Criminal Law Group represented a woman who was found with clothes in her car that still had the labels and security tags on them. There was no evidence in the brief as to what store the clothes came from. Our criminal lawyer argued that there was no evidence of who the owner was and therefore the offence could not be proved. The magistrate agreed and dismissed the charge, finding our client not guilty.

 Source:

The Crimes Act 1900 No 40, Current version for 1 April 2022 to date (accessed 23 April 2022 at 14:19)  https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1900-040

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This information is intended as a general guide to law only.  It should not be relied on as legal advice, and it is recommended that you speak with a qualified lawyer about your situation.

Australian Criminal Law Group and its suppliers make every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and validity of the information provided on its web pages. At the time of updating, this information was correct, however, given the laws in NSW and Australia are continually changing, the Australian Criminal Law Group makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. 

Good morning everyone!

How are you today? Ready to learn some vocabulary?

Today we will be looking at crime related words.

Steal – to take (something that does not belong to you) in a way that is wrong or illegal.

Rob – to take money or property from (a person or a place) illegally and sometimes by using force, violence, or threats.

Notice that the difference between these two verbs is the object. In “steal” the object is the thing which was taken away, for example: “He stole my bike”. With the verb “rob” the object is the person or place from which things were stolen: “Jenny was robbed last night” or “Jenny was robbed by a man in black”.

Crime vocabulary

Murder – the crime of deliberately killing a person.
Criminal: murderer
Ex: “The murder happened at night”

Shoplifting – to steal things from a shop or store.
Criminal: shoplifter
Ex: “An actress was caught shoplifting diamonds from a jewelers”

Burglary – the act of illegally entering a building in order to steal things.
Criminal: burglar
Ex: “There was a burglary at my local sports shop”

Smuggling – to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly.
Criminal: smuggler
Ex: “Some people make money smuggling cigarrettes over the border”

Kidnapping – to take away (someone) by force usually in order to keep the person as a prisoner and demand money for returning the person.
Criminal: kidnapper
Ex: “A little girl has been kidnapped from her primary school”

Legal vocabulary

Trial – a formal meeting in a court in which evidence about crimes, disagreements, etc., is presented to a judge and often a jury so that decisions can be made according to the law.
Ex: “He was put on trial for the attempted murder of his girlfriend”

Case – a situation that is being investigated or managed by someone (such as a police officer or social worker) in an official way.
Ex: “Case closed, the crime has been solved”

Evidence – something which shows that something else exists or is true.
Ex: “We found no evidence that Erin was the culprit”

Proof – something which shows that something else is true or correct.
Ex: “She wanted proof that the burglar had been caught”

Judge – to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought.
Ex: “Judge Judy is a very popular show about a female judge”

Jury – a group of people who are members of the public and are chosen to make a decision in a legal case.
Ex: “The jury decided the man was innocent”

Exercise

To make sure you have understood the new vocabulary, fill in the gaps in the exercise bellow. Remember to put the verbs in the correct verb tenses!

1. On Monday an armed gang __________ the school. They ___________ all the laptops.
2. My luggage _________ at the airport. I think it was ___________ by the blond man in a pink jacket.
3. Every year large numbers of banks __________.
4. Ali __________ of the opportunity to become class president.