light-handed vs sticky-fingered

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. 

sticky-fingered

adj
  • Possessing the behavioral trait of stealing, especially of engaging in petty theft while handling money or goods. 

  • Skillful in catching or handling the ball, in such games as baseball, football, basketball, etc. 

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