Explanation of Title
A fingersmith is a petty thief. The novel's protagonist, Sue, makes a living as a fingersmith in London. "Fingersmith" may also refer to someone who has mastered a skill involving the use of his or her fingers. It is also clearly an allusion to female masturbation and sex between women, in a similar vein to the use of pornographic slang in the author's first title "Tipping the Velvet".
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