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.
Read more about Gentleman Thief: In Popular Culture, In Real Life
Famous quotes containing the words gentleman and/or thief:
“Theres no art
To find the minds construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)
“Time is a very bankrupt and owes more than hes worth to
season.
Nay, hes a thief too: have you not heard men say,
That Time comes stealing on by night and day?”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)