Devious lick was a 2021 TikTok trend where US high-school students filmed themselves stealing items from school (often soap dispensers, signs, or even toilets). "Lick" is older slang for a robbery. This one IS concerning: if your child has posted or watched these videos around the trend's peak, they may have been encouraged to vandalise property at school. The trend faded but is occasionally revived; ask about it.
devious lick
A small, cheeky theft — originally school property stolen for TikTok clout, now used loosely for any low-stakes win.
ˈdiː.vi.əs lɪkCoined ~20212020sGen AlphatrendingHistorical314 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2021 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
Firecrawl: Devious Licks Trend | Know Your MemeSep 2021
The trend began on TikTok in early September 2021. ## Origin On September 1st, 2021, TikToker[\[5\]](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/devious-licks-trend#fn5) @jugg4elias posted a video of himself taking a box of dispos…
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Firecrawl: Devious lick - Wikipedia
Similar videos with the term "devious lick" soon flooded the platform, with students stealing items from bathrooms, such as soap and paper towel dispensers, toilet paper roll shields, [urinals](https://en.wikipedia.or…
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Firecrawl: List of Internet challenges - Wikipedia
16. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_challenges#cite_ref-nj_16-0 "Jump up")**Rodriguez, Katherine (September 15, 2021). ["What is the 'devious lick' TikTok trend?
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Definitions
Global
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#1·Apr 24, 2026Global
A small, cheeky theft — originally school property stolen for TikTok clout, now used loosely for any low-stakes win. The original "devious licks" trend spiraled so badly that some school districts temporarily banned unsupervised bathroom breaks. The word outlived the trend.
See it in action
“The trend began on TikTok in early September 2021. ## Origin On September 1st, 2021, TikToker[\[5\]](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/devious-licks-trend#fn5) @jugg4elias posted a video of himself taking a box of disposable masks from his backpack with the caption "a month into school absolutely devious lick.”
"Took three pens from the hotel. Devious lick."
Origin: Viral TikTok trend in fall 2021.
For parents
Devious lick was a 2021 TikTok trend where US high-school students filmed themselves stealing items from school (often soap dispensers, signs, or even toilets). "Lick" is older slang for a robbery. This one IS concerning: if your child has posted or watched these videos around the trend's peak, they may have been encouraged to vandalise property at school. The trend faded but is occasionally revived; ask about it.
For ESL learners
Devious lick refers to a specific 2021 TikTok challenge that involved theft from schools. It is dated slang and largely historical now. The formal equivalent is "petty theft challenge." Use it only when discussing the social-media phenomenon itself, never as a phrase to describe your own behaviour, as it implies illegal acts. Non-natives often confuse "lick" with the verb to lick; here it is a noun meaning a successful theft.
Cluster: steal
Heard in the wild
“The trend began on TikTok in early September 2021. ## Origin On September 1st, 2021, TikToker[\[5\]](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/devious-licks-trend#fn5) @jugg4elias posted a video of himself taking a box of disposable masks from his backpack with the caption "a month into school absolutely devious lick.”
— Firecrawl: Devious Licks Trend | Know Your Meme· Sep 2021“Similar videos with the term "devious lick" soon flooded the platform, with students stealing items from bathrooms, such as soap and paper towel dispensers, toilet paper roll shields, [urinals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinal "Urinal"), sinks, mirrors, and floor and ceiling tiles.”
“16. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_challenges#cite_ref-nj_16-0 "Jump up")**Rodriguez, Katherine (September 15, 2021). ["What is the 'devious lick' TikTok trend?”
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Show 2 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global
To perform a devious lick.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#3·May 2, 2026Global
The act of vandalizing or stealing one or more items in a school; a video depicting this act or the stolen items.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "devious lick" (D)
devil's taildevil's teethdevil's threesomedevil stripdevil wagonDevindevoeddevolvementdevo maxdevonDevonshiredevotee
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