Pilfer
I don't remember where I first heard this word (probably Dungeons & Dragons), but I've always thought it sounded like the nicest way to refer to petty thievery.
pil·fer [pilfÉ™r] v. to steal (typically a small amount or item of little value)
Synonyms: filch, steal, purloin, lift, pinch, thieve, prig, nick, swipe
Etymology: c.1400 (n.), from O.Fr. pelfre "booty, spoils" (11c.), of unknown origin, possibly related to pelf. The verb is first recorded 1540s. Related: Pilfered; pilfering.
NOTE: Today is my day to post over at the A to Z Challenge blog, so please stop by, and read some things about P.
40 comments:
Oh I'm first. That is a cool word. Nick is a nice way of saying it too for something not nice to do.
I love the word pilfer. I tend to use it to also mean 'borrow', just to be cheeky.
Jamie
Fellow A-Z Buddy
Doing a monumental blog catch-up
Mithril Wisdom
when i hear this word i think Pirates
makes me think of powdering ones nose ;o)
I'm totally using this word today. Somehow. Somewhere. :D
I'm pilfering your pilfer. Jest so you know...
Pilfer is a great word! I actually use it quite a bit. :)
it sounds like it should mean something else--great word
Nice word choice. I don't know where I first heard it, but it's a word I definitely like. It just sounds sneaky...
I pilfer my kids' candy bowl all the time!
I always hear the term "pilfer through my purse." I wonder if that's a Southern thing.
Pilfer is a fun word. It's even fun to say. Not so much fun to get caught doing it though (not that I'd know from personal experience).
I think your guy who is pilfering there is doing more than pilfering.
No?
Plus he has no irises.
It's such a great word, I think I'll steal it. ;)
Pilfering is when you rob or loot with your tongue in your cheek.
Pilfering sounds like a regency romance word...not that I spent a great part of my teenage years reading the genre...um...I just know thing.
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge
Great word for stealing. Love it!
Ooh Pilfer is a great word. So evocative. Must remember to come back to your A-Z posts when I get a senior moment writing my book!
sounds like a very 'british' word. Like 'the pilfer emptied out the coffers.' - but, like, with a british accent. Ok, I need coffee.
It's a fun word, and I guess I read it somewhere when I was much younger--way before D&D. lol
It sounds so much nicer than it actually means. And prig as a synonym? Hmm...
There is no honor among thieves. haha.
Thieving or pilfering.
Dude, "pilfer" is good, but "PLUNDER" is just so much better. (Yes, I do write about Vikings!) I try to work "plunder" into my everyday conversations as much as possible. I'll think about getting "pilfer" in there, too, now.
Purloin!!! I like purloin! Makes my tongue go round in on itself when I say this word! LOL! Take care
x
I have no smartass remark about pilfering.
ooh, love the pic you chose to go along with pilfer
Love it. It's just fun to say. :)
I remember looking for synonyms for steal some time back for a novel. I remember pilfer and filch...which reminds me, wasn't Filch the name of a character in the Harry Potter series?
This one I know.
Kleptomanicas are probably pilferers.
Ah...this brings back my History Class and the Huns who would "rape and pillage."...:)JP
I like flich myself. Use it often around here.
Though I had to explain to my hubby that it was not a dirty word. He didn't believe me until I pulled out the old dictionary and showed him.
Yeah, "Pilfer" is nicer than "Thief." I guess the former is a more polite form, lol.
~Nicole
Blog: The Madlab Post
*Rockin' the A to Z Challenge!*
@MadlabPost on Twitter
Pilfering is never acceptable, but often overlooked.
It does sound like a pirate term, but I always thought they took coins and pearls and such that were easily traded in at the pawn shop. . . (like that one in Vegas).
LOL! Pilfer does sound harmless. I like purloin, too. It sounds almost respectable.
Something about that preacher guy you've goat a picture of just rubs me the wrong way... can't put my finger on it.
We used to call someone who passes gas a lot a piffer. For the longest time, I thought this word meant the same thing.
It sounds so much better than steal, almost like you're not doing something wrong! That pic is truly evil by the way.
Cool word.
I like pilfer, but I think I like filch better.
Post a Comment