hand in the till, with one's

Idioms and Phrases

Also, with one's fingers in the till ; have one's hand in the cookie jar . Stealing from one's employer. For example, He was caught with his hand in the till and was fired immediately , or They suspected she had her hand in the cookie jar but were waiting for more evidence . The noun till has been used for a money box or drawer since the 15th century; cookie jar , perhaps alluding to the “sweets” of money, dates only from about 1940.