furtive vs light-handed

furtive

adj
  • Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving. 

  • Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy. 

  • Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily. 

  • Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy. 

light-handed

adj
  • Thieving, larcenous. 

  • Light-hearted; fun and witty or easygoing. 

  • flippant; lacking seriousness. 

  • Fresh and light-tasting, not rich, heavy, or highly seasoned. 

  • Gentle; benign and with minimal intervention. 

  • Sparing; applying only slight pressure or minimal amounts. 

  • Delicate and skilled; nimble and dextrous 

  • Not having a full complement of workers. 

adv
  • Carrying very little. 

  • In a light-handed manner. 

How often have the words furtive and light-handed occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )