Safecracker

/ˈseɪfkrækər/ noun

Definition

A person who breaks into safes to steal what's inside, or someone skilled at opening locked safes.

Etymology

Compound of 'safe' (secure container, from Old French 'sauf' meaning safe) plus 'cracker' (from 'crack,' meaning to break). The compound emerged in the late 1800s with the rise of safes and organized crime.

Kelly Says

Safecracking became an art form in the 1900s—professionals would use stethoscopes to listen to tumblers clicking! The term even became somewhat romanticized in heist movies, like a Robin Hood skill rather than simple theft.

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