half-inch

half-inch

slang To steal something. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "half-inch" rhymes with "pinch" (meaning to steal or pilfer). Primarily heard in UK. If Mom finds out you half-inched that lipstick, you'll be in so much trouble!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • iron poof
  • Brahms and Liszt
  • Jimmy Riddle
  • bottle and glass
  • a load of (old) cobblers' awls
  • north and south
  • Jack Palancing
  • bull and cow
  • cream-crackered
  • china plate