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cracksman

cracksman

1 9.9
A thief who breaks open safes to steal what is inside
  • noun
  • /ˈkræksmən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ladrón de cajas fuertes
  • After the heist, the notorious cracksman left no evidence behind, making it difficult for the police to track him down.

Examples

  • As for me, there could have been no worse cracksman in all of England.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • All's I know is that he's a cracksman planning a flash pull, he is.

  • The police caught the cracksman just as he was trying to break open the safe.

  • A skilled cracksman can open any strongbox in minutes, stealing valuable items.

Synonyms

thief
vscracksman
754 1.0

A person who takes someone else's things without permission

adds the specific act of breaking locked containers to steal valuables
crook
vscracksman
  • Offensive
153 3.9

A dishonest person who cheats or steals

is narrower, naming one who breaks secured containers to steal
safecracker
vscracksman
4 8.9

A person who breaks into safes to steal money or other things

is the specific criminal type rather than a general thief
stealer
vscracksman
4 4.6

A person who takes things that belong to others without permission

targets secured containers specifically rather than any unauthorized taking
sneak thief
vscracksman
2 7.6

A person who secretly steals things without using force

is focused on breaking into locked containers rather than furtive petty theft
yegg
vscracksman
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who breaks into places like banks to steal from safes

is the formal descriptive term rather than slang
safebreaker
vscracksman
9.1

A person who illegally opens safes to steal things

is a thief who targets these containers, often as a job
boxman
vscracksman
  • NSFW
9.9

A person who opens safes to steal things

is a general thief who also performs that same breaking activity
crackswoman
vscracksman
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who breaks open safes to steal valuable things

is the male term for the same criminal role
purloiner
vscracksman
9.6

A person who steals things secretly

is specifically about breaking secured containers rather than general secret taking

Surface Forms

cracksman singular
cracksmen plural

Morphology

cracksman = crack + man (transparent) = crack + man

Formed from 'crack' (to force open) + 'man' (agent), so the meaning 'a person who cracks safes' is directly inferable from the parts.

Etymology

Cracksman comes from crack 'to break open' plus man 'person'; it was old slang for someone who could 'crack' a safe. So a cracksman is a thief who breaks safes or strongboxes to steal what is inside.