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to half-inch
01
(Cockney rhyming slang) to steal or pinch something
Slang
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
half-inch
3rd person singular
half-inches
Present participle
half-inching
Past simple
half-inched
Past participle
half-inched
What does "to half-inch" mean in Cockney rhyming slang?
The structure uses the rhyming pair "half-inch" to stand for "pinch," following the typical Cockney pattern of replacing a word (pinch, meaning both to squeeze and to steal) with a phrase that rhymes with it. It is used in Cockney rhyming slang (London, UK) to mean to steal something. People typically say "Someone half-inched my wallet" or "He half-inched a biscuit from the jar." The term originated in early 20th century London East End rhyming slang culture, and remains a classic, well known example.
Examples
Someone half-inched my wallet on the bus.
