"lob-sneaking" means historical british thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
lob-sneaking
Historical British thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK
Historical British thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box. 'Lob' was slang for a till containing money, so lob-sneaking described sneaking a theft from it. Now purely historical, encountered mainly in studies of Victorian or earlier criminal slang.
He was caught in the act of lob-sneaking at the draper's shop and hauled before the magistrate.
Origin: From thieves' cant 'lob' (a till or cash box) + 'sneaking' (stealing quietly); a compound describing petty cash theft. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents
"lob-sneaking" means historical british thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
For ESL learners
"lob-sneaking" is informal English meaning historical british thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "historical british thieves' cant for the act of stealing from a till or cash box" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "lob-sneaking" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK, slang, obsolete) from a shop's cash till.
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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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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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Tags
Other words near "lob-sneaking" (L)
lobbygowlob-crawlingloblollylobolalob-onLobsidedlobster boxlobster palacelobster poundlocallocal boardlocal lane
Browse all slang words starting with L.
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- lob-crawling79%
(UK, slang, obsolete) from a shop's cash till by crawling stealthily towards it while the shop owner is not looking.
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