I'm not sure if I came up with this word, or if one of my friends did, but we have universally adopted it and I think we need to share it with others. I show no results for it on Google, which makes it very likely that one of us really did make it up, but I don't know who gets the credit or blame.

check-ninja


v. check-ninja'd, check-ninja·ing, check-ninja·s

1. To swipe the restaurant check out from under your friend's nose, to prevent said friend for paying for his/her own food, usually furtively and with great amusement upon being discovered: She check-ninja'd me at the restaurant while I was in the restroom.

n.

1. One who is known for check-ninjaing: She's quite the check-ninja; she always grabs the check and pays it before I even see it.

Admit it, you know exactly what I'm referring to—the friend that invites you out to lunch, lets you think you're going to get to pay for your own food, and then swipes the check out from under you before you see it, or before you have a chance to pull out credit cards or cash.

Among some of my friends, "I'm going to check-ninja you, so don't bother" has even become the way to say "I'm paying for lunch and I won't brook any argument from you."

There. Share.