🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst

Native Script:Wer es findet, behält es

Pronunciation / Transliteration: vergesst nicht, gefunden ist behalten

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Finders-keepers/ˌfaɪn.dəz ˈkiː.pəz/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #8500 frequency
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🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Nach dem Motto Wer es findet, behält es nahm er die Münze."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The principle that the person who finds a lost object is entitled to keep it.

    "He tried to claim finders-keepers when he found the watch on the park bench."
  2. 2

    An informal rule or custom implying ownership through discovery.

    "There is no legal basis for finders-keepers when it comes to valuable public property."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Originating as an informal rhyming rule in English folklore, the phrase stems from the traditional playground maxim 'finders keepers, losers weepers'. It dates back to the 19th century, combining the agent nouns 'finder' and 'keeper' to humorously justify the retention of lost property by the person who discovered it.

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