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:
“In the game of Whist for two, usually called Correspondence, the lady plays what card she likes: the gentleman simply follows suit. If she leads with Queen of Diamonds, however, he may, if he likes, offer the Ace of Hearts: and, if she plays Queen of Hearts, and he happens to have no Heart left, he usually plays Knave of Clubs.”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (18321898)
“He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.”
—Oscar Wilde (18541900)