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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:

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

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  2. 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

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  3. when i hear this word i think Pirates

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  4. makes me think of powdering ones nose ;o)

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

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

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

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

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

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  10. I pilfer my kids' candy bowl all the time!

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

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  12. 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).

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

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

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

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  16. 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

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  17. 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!

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

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

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

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  21. There is no honor among thieves. haha.

    Thieving or pilfering.

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  22. 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.

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

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

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

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  26. 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?

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  27. Kleptomanicas are probably pilferers.

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

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  29. 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.

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  30. 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

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  31. 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).

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

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

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

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

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

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