steal a living

present singular third person steals a living · participle present stealing a living · past stole a living · participle past stolen a living

1. UKespeciallyidiomaticball gamesTo be bad at one's job, especially a well-paid prestigious one.

   The Sky Sports pundit savaged Shaw following United's embarrassing 3-0 Manchester derby defeat, claiming the left-back had been "stealing a living" at Old Trafford for years.

   2025 September 21, Roy Keane, quotee, “Luke Shaw reacts to Roy Keane's 'stealing a living' remarks after horror defeat”, in Irish Mirror

   2 more examples

   I've tried in vain to haul a club out of a nose-dive and I've come to realise that real football managers aren't actually know-nothing morons stealing a living. They're experienced football men doing their very best to succeed against the odds.

   2012 August 10, Iain Macintosh, Kenny Millar, Neil White, Football Manager Stole My Life, BackPage Press, →ISBN

   Notwithstanding his apparent ineptitude, Carlos Sánchez has 88 caps for Colombia, who always give our nation's finest a stern test. It seems like he's stealing a living on a ridiculous £ 70k p/w.

   2023 January 9, Paul Brand, Fortune's Always Hiding: From Stratford to Seville, Pitch Publishing Limited, →ISBN

2. UKidiomaticTo have a job that is perceived as worthless.

   Another accused product managers of "stealing a living": "As an engineer, I feel I can easily do their job in addition to mine with not much extra effort," they wrote.

   2024 November 20, Amanda Hoover, “Product managers rule Silicon Valley. Not everyone is happy about it.”, in Business Insider

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see steal, a, living; to live on the proceeds of theft.