General
half-inch
What does half-inch mean?
To steal. Lift, nick, swipe — usually something small and opportunistic rather than armed robbery.
"Some little toerag half-inched my bike from outside Tesco."
Origin
Cockney rhyming slang where 'half-inch' rhymes with 'pinch' (steal). One of the few rhyming-slang terms that's survived intact into mainstream British English without being shortened.
Frequently asked questions
What does half-inch mean?
Half-inch means to pinch, nick, or steal something.
How do you use half-inch in a sentence?
You might say, "Someone half-inched my bike from outside the shop."
Where does half-inch come from?
It's Cockney rhyming slang, where "half-inch" rhymes with and stands in for "pinch."
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