with one's hand in the cookie jar

English

Alternative forms

• Note: These entries are full verb phrases with the verb "catch".
• catch someone in the cookie jar, catch somone raiding the cookie jar, catch someone with one's fingers in the cookie jar, catch someone with the cookie jar.
• catch someone with one's hand in the till, catch someone with one's hand in the cookie jar

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

with one's hand in the cookie jar

1. (idiomatic) While committing a theft, especially while embezzling money.
   • 1969, "Insurance Man Accused in Theft of $400,000," Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec., p. A10:

     A Long Beach insurance broker, who admittedly got caught with his "hand in the cookie jar", has been accused of the theft of $400,000 from the Bank of America.

   • 1989, Claudia Deutsch, "Passing Sentence Before A Trial," New York Times, 19 Feb. (retrieved 24 May 2009):

     Any crisis, whether it is a plant explosion or an executive caught with his hand in the cookie jar, takes on a life of its own.

   • 2007, "The competition was fierce, and the judging a fraught affair," The Times (South Africa), 31 Dec. (retrieved 24 May 2009):

     Frankenmanto was, in fact, a certified kleptomaniac who had to carry a doctor’s letter on her to explain the embarrassing little moments when she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Usage notes

Nearly always used with "catch".

Translations

observed or apprehended while committing a theft

• French: pris la main dans le sac (cf. verb: prendre la main dans le sac (fr))
• Greek: πίαστηκε στα πράσα (píastike sta prása)
• Italian: colto con le mani nel sacco
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: взя́тый с поли́чным (vzjátyj s políčnym) (cf. verb: взять с поли́чным (vzjatʹ s políčnym))
• Swedish: tagen med fingrarna i syltburken, tagen med skägget i brevlådan

See also

• in flagrante delicto