sneak thief; petty thief; cat burglar
Abbreviation of こそこそ泥棒. Refers to a thief who sneaks around and steals small items, often from homes. Conveys a sense of stealth and pettiness.
See also: こそこそ泥棒
It seems a sneak thief broke into the neighbor's house.
He stole the wallet with the technique of a petty thief.
Variant with katakana for the first part; less common but seen in informal writing.
Abbreviation of こそこそ泥棒 (sneak thief). The first part こそ comes from the mimetic adverb こそこそ (sneakily).