Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A to Z Challenge: P - Pilfer

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:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Oh I'm first. That is a cool word. Nick is a nice way of saying it too for something not nice to do.

Unknown said...

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

Rebecca said...

when i hear this word i think Pirates

Jessica Bell said...

makes me think of powdering ones nose ;o)

Stina said...

I'm totally using this word today. Somehow. Somewhere. :D

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

I'm pilfering your pilfer. Jest so you know...

Talli Roland said...

Pilfer is a great word! I actually use it quite a bit. :)

Lynn Proctor said...

it sounds like it should mean something else--great word

Eric said...

Nice word choice. I don't know where I first heard it, but it's a word I definitely like. It just sounds sneaky...

Dani said...

I pilfer my kids' candy bowl all the time!

Brinda said...

I always hear the term "pilfer through my purse." I wonder if that's a Southern thing.

Laurita said...

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).

Kristen Wixted said...

I think your guy who is pilfering there is doing more than pilfering.
No?
Plus he has no irises.

Unknown said...

It's such a great word, I think I'll steal it. ;)

Rick Daley said...

Pilfering is when you rob or loot with your tongue in your cheek.

Tina said...

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

Jennie Bennett said...

Great word for stealing. Love it!

Claire Hennessy said...

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!

Creepy Query Girl said...

sounds like a very 'british' word. Like 'the pilfer emptied out the coffers.' - but, like, with a british accent. Ok, I need coffee.

Donna K. Weaver said...

It's a fun word, and I guess I read it somewhere when I was much younger--way before D&D. lol

Nancy Thompson said...

It sounds so much nicer than it actually means. And prig as a synonym? Hmm...

Slamdunk said...

There is no honor among thieves. haha.

Thieving or pilfering.

Heather Day Gilbert said...

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.

Old Kitty said...

Purloin!!! I like purloin! Makes my tongue go round in on itself when I say this word! LOL! Take care
x

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I have no smartass remark about pilfering.

Sarah Ahiers said...

ooh, love the pic you chose to go along with pilfer

Dana said...

Love it. It's just fun to say. :)

Angela Brown said...

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?

farawayeyes said...

This one I know.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kleptomanicas are probably pilferers.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Ah...this brings back my History Class and the Huns who would "rape and pillage."...:)JP

Aldrea Alien said...

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.

Nicole said...

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

D.G. Hudson said...

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).

Botanist said...

LOL! Pilfer does sound harmless. I like purloin, too. It sounds almost respectable.

Rusty Carl said...

Something about that preacher guy you've goat a picture of just rubs me the wrong way... can't put my finger on it.

Cassie Mae said...

We used to call someone who passes gas a lot a piffer. For the longest time, I thought this word meant the same thing.

mindthagap said...

It sounds so much better than steal, almost like you're not doing something wrong! That pic is truly evil by the way.

Traci Kenworth said...

Cool word.

Andrew Leon said...

I like pilfer, but I think I like filch better.