yeggman

A yeggman carefully opens a safe in a dark room.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A safecracker or burglar: "yeggman" refers to a person who breaks into safes, especially one who is a professional or habitual criminal. It is an informal, slang term historically used in American English.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The police arrested a notorious yeggman who had been targeting banks in the Midwest. (A professional safe-cracker who was active in burglaries.)
  • In old crime novels, the yeggman is often portrayed as a cunning and elusive figure. (A stereotypical burglar character in fiction.)

Advanced Usage

• "yeggman" as a historical term: The word was especially common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, associated with a subculture of traveling criminals who specialized in safe-cracking.
  • The train robberies of the 1920s were often the work of a lone yeggman with a crowbar and dynamite. (A criminal using tools to break into safes on trains.)

Variants and Related Words

• Yegg (n): a shortened form of "yeggman," meaning the same thing (a safecracker or burglar).
  • The old-timer was a yegg who had spent years in prison for his crimes. (A habitual safe-cracker.)

Synonyms

• Safecracker: a person who opens safes illegally, often using tools or explosives.
• Burglar: a person who enters a building illegally to steal.
• Cracksman: a slang term for a skilled burglar or safecracker (British English).

Phrasal Verbs

• No direct phrasal verbs: "yeggman" is a noun and does not form phrasal verbs.

Related Idioms

• No direct idioms: The term "yeggman" is too specific and archaic for common idioms.