Friday, March 18, 2016

word request - What do you call it when someone searches through your stuff?


This is one of the things that I don't really know the proper name for, because I've never heard anyone say it, but I know how to explain it.


Let's say a toddler is searching through your backpack, then you tell him:



Stop -blank- my things!




Can you guys provide more than one expression?



Answer



This question seems to be asking about two actions. One is someone 'going through' a backpack. The other one is 'going through the things found in a backpack'.



Stop going through my things



fits the second case.


As does the expression you provided:




Stop searching through my stuff



User3169 has provided a highly idiomatic expression:



Stop digging through my things



CopperKettle has provided the useful verb rummage (which is also a noun):



Stop rummaging (through) my backpack




Also, stop messing with my things/stuff is similar, but it is broader in meaning.


You can also say



Get your hands out of my backpack


Leave my stuff alone


Find your own toys to play with



For variety and vocabulary expansion, you might want to be aware of



Stop rifling through my things




but rifle as a verb means to go through something quickly in order to steal something, and we wouldn't generally use that for a toddler.


Note: I have not used a period after any of the italicized examples, because I want to leave open the fact that you can add , toddler's name or something else the end of each one.



Stop messing with my stuff, lovey dovey.



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