Thief.
Tea leaf
Example Sentences
"He's a little tea leaf."
"Watch out, there's tea leaves about."
Etymology & History
Cockney rhyming slang for 'thief'. The drink staple becomes crime reference. Victorian working-class slang. 'He's a tea leaf' identifies someone as a thief. One of many food-based rhyming slang terms.
Word Details
📍
Region
London/Cockney
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Era
Victorian
✓
Language
Mild
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Formality
Slang
Categories:
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Anglotopia's Dictionary of British English 2nd Edition
British Slang from A to Zed
By Jonathan Thomas
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