Robber - stealer - thief - burglar

[hermit]

hi pjt33 - the word 'stealer', while perfectly understood anywhere english
is spoken, when used in context to mean 'robber', 'burglar', 'thief', sounds
like a direct translation, and not the best choice.

hermit

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by hermit

hi pjt33 - the word 'stealer', while perfectly understood anywhere english
is spoken, when used in context to mean 'robber', 'burglar', 'thief', sounds
like a direct translation, and not the best choice.

I don't think it sounds much like a direct translation: ladrón doesn't have a cognate verb (that I'm aware of) and I've never heard anyone use robador (which would more naturally become the cognate robber anyway). It sounds more like someone inventing a word by applying common morphology.

I've never heard it - and I'm a native (British) English speaker and bookaholic in my late 20s - and nor can I find it a British dictionary, which is why I'm so surprised to hear it used as a word by a native (American) English speaker and, moreover, to find it in online American English dictionaries.

[Tomisimo]

Interesting discussion of "stealer". I agree that when talking about regular robbery or theft, "stealer" sounds rather strange, and I for one, wouldn't use it. However, the word most definitely exists and is used in certain situations. For example in baseball, a runner who steals a base is a often referred to as a stealer or base stealer. In fact "stealer" seems to prefer existing in compound words-- base stealer, husband stealer, girlfriend stealer, password stealer, account stealer, email stealer, etc.

Some more slang terms for "to steal": to cop, filtch, hook, snitch.

[poli]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

Interesting discussion of "stealer". I agree that when talking about regular robbery or theft, "stealer" sounds rather strange, and I for one, wouldn't use it. However, the word most definitely exists and is used in certain situations. For example in baseball, a runner who steals a base is a often referred to as a stealer or base stealer. In fact "stealer" seems to prefer existing in compound words-- base stealer, husband stealer, girlfriend stealer, password stealer, account stealer, email stealer, etc.

Some more slang terms for "to steal": to cop, filtch, hook, snitch.

VERY GOOD.
In English you can use pinch
In Spanish hurtar

[Jessica]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

They are fairly synonymous, but there are slight differences. Associated verbs in parenthesis.

robber — someone who steals by force, violence, or threat (to rob, to commit robbery)
thief — someone who steals secretly or stealthily (to commit theft)
stealer — someone who takes something that does not belong to them or that they don't have a right to take (to steal)
purloiner — someone who takes something wrongfully (to purloin)
pilferer — someone who steals secretly/stealthily in small amounts over time (to pilfer)
larcenist — (this is more of a legal term) someone who takes something unlawfully with the intention of depriving its rightful owner of it permanently (to commit larceny). There is also "grand larceny" which has a specific legal meaning.
shoplifter — someone who steals products on display in a store (to shoplift)
burglar — someone who enters a house/building at night without permission with the intent to commit a crime (to burgle, to commit burglary)

There are also other verbs that are synonymous with "to steal"— to lift, to borrow, to jack, to swipe, to nick.

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

Interesting discussion of "stealer". I agree that when talking about regular robbery or theft, "stealer" sounds rather strange, and I for one, wouldn't use it. However, the word most definitely exists and is used in certain situations. For example in baseball, a runner who steals a base is a often referred to as a stealer or base stealer. In fact "stealer" seems to prefer existing in compound words-- base stealer, husband stealer, girlfriend stealer, password stealer, account stealer, email stealer, etc.

Some more slang terms for "to steal": to cop, filtch, hook, snitch.

yeah, stealer does sound strange

[brute]

We do sometimes use stealer in the UK in "sugar stealer" This term is used by children (in Northern England at least) to mean floating dandelion seeds or thistle down.

A man was recently arrested for stealing ladies' underwear. the headline in the local paper was:

Knicker nicker nicked!!

[ookami]

What does that mean brute?

[pjt33]

Knicker: tanga
nicker: de "to nick" (robar)
nicked: de "to nick" (detener)

I'm from Kent, so as far as I'm concerned Northern England starts at Watford

[ROBINDESBOIS]

STEALER? It´s the first time I hear it . Does it exist ?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by poli

ladrón
ratero
caco

Right - I know the words, but I can't distinguish between them. Would someone be so kind as to give a similar run-down of the Spanish words that Poli listed above ... with definitions and ideas about usage? Thanks!