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steal
beg, borrow, or steal
To acquire or accomplish something by any means necessary or available. I don't care if you have to beg, borrow, or steal to get it, I want that car and I want it now! I'm in such a jam, I can't even beg, borrow, or steal the money I need to pay my rent this month.
steal a march over (someone or something)
To gain an unexpected or surreptitious advantage over someone or something, as by accomplishing something before, or better than, someone else. The retail business managed to steal a march over its competitors by signing an exclusive export agreement with Europe. John and I were both trying to win Courtney's heart, but he stole a march over me when he managed to get tickets to see Courtney's favorite band.
steal a march upon (someone or something)
To gain an unexpected or surreptitious advantage over someone or something, as by accomplishing something before, or better than, someone else. The retail business managed to steal a march upon its competitors by signing an exclusive export agreement with Europe. John and I were both trying to win Courtney's heart, but he stole a march upon me when he managed to get tickets to see Courtney's favorite band.
steal the march over (someone or something)
To gain an unexpected or surreptitious advantage over someone or something, as by accomplishing something before, or better than, someone else. The retail business managed to steal the march over its competitors by signing an exclusive export agreement with Europe. John and I were both trying to win Courtney's heart, but he stole the march over me when he managed to get tickets to see Courtney's favorite band.
steal the march upon (someone or something)
To gain an unexpected or surreptitious advantage over someone or something, as by accomplishing something before, or better than, someone else. The retail business managed to steal the march upon its competitors by signing an exclusive export agreement with Europe. John and I were both trying to win Courtney's heart, but he stole the march upon me when he managed to get tickets to see Courtney's favorite band.
steal the march on (someone or something)
To gain an unexpected or surreptitious advantage over someone or something, as by accomplishing something before, or better than, someone else. The retail business managed to steal the march on its competitors by signing an exclusive export agreement with Europe. John and I were both trying to win Courtney's heart, but he stole the march on me when he managed to get tickets to see Courtney's favorite band.
like stealing acorns from a blind pig
Rur. very easy. Getting Mary to sign the house over to me was like stealing acorns from a blind pig. Tom: Was it hard to fool so many people? Charlie: Nope. It was like stealing acorns from a blind pig.
steal a base
Fig. to sneak from one base to another in baseball. The runner stole second base, but he nearly got put out on the way. Tom runs so slowly that he never tries to steal a base.
steal a glance at someone or something
Fig. to sneak a peek at someone or something. He stole a glance at his brother, who appeared to be as frightened as he was. Karen stole a glance at her watch and yawned.
steal a march on someone or something
to precede someone who has the same goal; to accomplish something before someone else does. Jeff stole a march on all of us when he had his story published. Our competitor stole a march on us and got the big contract.
steal away (from someone or something)
to sneak away from someone or something. The thief stole away from the policeman. We stole away from the boring lecture.
steal from someone or something
to rob someone or something. You wouldn't steal from a poor man, would you? Max didn't feel bad about stealing from a bank.
steal out of some place
to sneak quietly out of some place. The critic stole out of the theater, unable to endure any more of the abysmal play. I stole out of the lecture and went back to my room.
steal over someone or something
1. [for a covering of some sort] to move slowly over someone or something. (As with the sun or the shade of a cloud.) The shade stole over the sunbathers and ended their day. Darkness stole over the land.
2. [for a feeling] to spread through someone gradually. A feeling of gloom stole over the crowd. A sense of high excitement stole over the boys as they waited.
steal someone's heart
Fig. to capture someone's affections; to cause someone to fall in love with oneself. When I first met him, I knew he would steal my heart away. And he did.
steal someone's thunder
Fig. to lessen someone's force or authority. What do you mean by coming in here and stealing my thunder? I'm in charge here! someone stole my thunder by leaking my announcement to the press.
steal something from someone or something
to take the property belonging to someone or something without permission; to commit the theft of something from someone or something. Max stole $50 from Henry. Lefty stole an apple from the fruit stand.
steal something off someone
to rob something from someone. I think that guy who walked past me stole my wallet off me! Max stole a lot of money off tourists last season.
steal the spotlight
and steal the show Fig.to give the best performance in a show, play, or some other event; to get attention for oneself. The lead in the play was very good, but the butler stole the show. Ann always tries to steal the spotlight when she and I make a presentation.
steal up on someone or something
to sneak up on someone or something. We will steal up on Tony and give him a scare. The fox stole up on the hen and grabbed it.
steal somebody's heart
to cause someone to love you He married the beautiful singer who stole his heart while singing the blues.
steal the show
to get all the attention and praise at an event or performance She has a small part, but she steals the show from the lead actors.
steal a march on somebody/something
to spoil someone's plans and get an advantage over them by doing something sooner or better than them The company plans to steal a march on its competitors by offering the same computer at a lower price.
steal somebody's thunder
to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done
Usage notes: In the 17th century the writer John Dennis built a machine which made sounds like thunder for one of his plays, but the idea was copied by someone else and used in another play.
I kept quiet about my pregnancy because Cathy was getting married, and I didn't want to steal her thunder. steal the show
to get all the attention and praise at an event or performance All the singers were good, but 16-year-old Karine stole the show.
beg, borrow, or steal
Obtain by any possible means, as in You couldn't beg, borrow, or steal tickets to the Olympics. This term is often used in the negative, to describe something that cannot be obtained; Chaucer used it in The Tale of the Man of Law. [Late 1300s]
steal a march on
Gain an advantage over unexpectedly or secretly, as in Macy's stole a march on their rival department store with their Thanksgiving Day parade. This metaphoric expression comes from medieval warfare, where a march was the distance an army could travel in a day. By quietly marching at night, a force could surprise and overtake the enemy at daybreak. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s.
steal someone blind
Also, rob someone blind. Rob or cheat someone mercilessly, as in Ann always maintained that children would steal their parents blind. The allusion here is unclear. Possibly it means stealing everything, including someone's sight. [Mid-1900s]
steal someone's heart
Win someone's love, as in That puppy stole Brian's heart. [Late 1500s]
steal someone's thunder
Use or appropriate another's idea, especially to one's advantage, as in It was Harold's idea but they stole his thunder and turned it into a massive advertising campaign without giving him credit . This idiom comes from an actual incident in which playwright and critic John Dennis (1657-1734) devised a "thunder machine" (by rattling a sheet of tin backstage) for his play, Appius and Virginia (1709), and a few days later discovered the same device being used in a performance of Macbeth, whereupon he declared, "They steal my thunder."
steal the show
Also, steal the spotlight. Be the center of attention, as in The speeches were interesting but Eliza's singing stole the show. This idiom alludes to unexpectedly outshining the rest of the cast in a theatrical production. [First half of 1900s]
steal away
v. To leave quietly without being noticed: During the party, the lovers stole away to the garden.
a steal
n. a bargain. This car wasn’t exactly a steal at this price, but it’s still a good value.
steal (someone's) heart
To win one's affection or love.
steal (someone's) thunder
To use, appropriate, or preempt the use of another's idea, especially to one's own advantage and without consent by the originator.
mean enough to steal a penny off a dead man's eyes
Very mean. To keep a deceased's eyes closed, undertakers or whoever tended the body placed coins on the eyes. Anyone who would steal the money was indeed reprehensible. Just as evil was a man who was “mean enough to steal his wife's egg money,” pin money earned from selling eggs that the family didn't use themselves.