to play petty tricks on the sly

to play petty tricks on the sly

Rat steal dog steal, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is sh ǔ t ō UG ǒ UD à o, meaning like a mouse to steal a small amount, like a dog to steal oil. A thief's touch. It comes from the biography of Liu Jing and sun Tong in historical records.

Analysis of Idioms

[synonym]: jiminggoujiao, liangshangjunzi

Antonym: a gentleman

Idiom usage

A thief is a thief

Examples

In the past few years, those who have not been bothered by rats and dogs have all been my watchers. Qingchengzi's the sequel of Zhiyi · repaying kindness by beggars in Qing Dynasty

The origin of Idioms

Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty wrote in the biography of Liu Jing, uncle and sun Tong in historical records: "this special group of thieves, rats, dogs and ears, can't be placed between their teeth."

Idiom story

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, peasants all over the country revolted one after another. However, Zhao Gao, the prime minister, accused the messengers of fabricating rumors and putting them in prison. Hu Hai, the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty, asked about the peasant uprising, but Shu Suntong said that it was just a burglar. There was no need to panic. The second promoted him to a higher rank. However, the Qin Dynasty was soon overthrown by the peasant uprising.