Gentleman Thief

In the Victorian vernacular, a gentleman thief or lady thief (called phantom thief in the East) is a particularly well-behaving and apparently well bred thief. A "gentleman or lady" is usually, but not always, a person with an inherited title of nobility and inherited wealth, who need not work for a living. Such a person steals not in order to gain material wealth, but for adventure; they act without malice. These thieves rarely bother with anonymity or force, preferring to rely on their charisma, physical attractiveness, and clever misdirection to steal the most unobtainable objects — sometimes for their own support, but mostly for the thrill of the act itself.

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Famous quotes containing the words gentleman and/or thief:

    Nominee. A modest gentleman shrinking from the distinction of private life and diligently seeking the honorable obscurity of public office.
    Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914)

    I askèd a thief to steal me a peach
    He turned up his eyes
    I ask’d a lithe lady to lie her down
    Holy & meek she cries—

    As soon as I went
    An angel came.
    He wink’d at the thief
    And smild at the dame—

    And without one word said
    Had a peach from the tree
    And still as a maid
    Enjoy’d the lady.
    William Blake (1757–1827)