gas meter bandit
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A small-time thief.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
We might not have had that much to pinch, but they'd still have your brass candlesticks off the mantelpiece. There's always wrong 'uns, in every walk of life, who'll have whatever you've got from under your nose. Bloody gas-meter bandits, […]
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “gas meter bandit” mean?
A small-time thief.
Is “gas meter bandit” formal or informal?
gas meter bandit is generally slang.