You know the terms half inch and pinch for stealing comes from the crows foot.... originally in Nelsons time, wooden warships were bolted / nailed together with long copper rods, as copper was a valuable commodity they were stamped with the crows foot every 1/2 inch along their length.
Therefore if you were caught with them, it would mean severe punishment in Nelsons time,( death or deportation etc ) so they used to pinch off sections and leave the crows foot parts behind, thus stealing the 1/2 inch clear sections, hence half inch or pinch....
Here endeth the history lesson
