hand in the till, with one's

with (one's) hand in the till

Stealing money from one's workplace or employer. Margaret finally got caught with her hand in the till after she tried using the company's expense account to pay for her vacation. Everyone knows he's been running the company with his hands in the till.
See also: hand, till
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hand in the till, with one's

Also, with one's fingers in the till; have one's hand in the cookie jar. Stealing from one's employer. For example, He was caught with his hand in the till and was fired immediately, or They suspected she had her hand in the cookie jar but were waiting for more evidence. The noun till has been used for a money box or drawer since the 15th century; cookie jar, perhaps alluding to the "sweets" of money, dates only from about 1940.
See also: hand
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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