highway robbern.

1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1689/1 An vnsauorie smacke thereof, and smell still toward daysleepers, pursepickers, highwayrobbers, quarrellmakers, yea and bloudsheders too.

1634 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie (new ed.) vii. 139 The very Boot-halers, or Highway-robbers, are more woorthy favour than such.

1690 London Gaz. No. 2607/2 Any Highway Robbers, House-Breakers, or Murderers.

1714 J. Pointer Chronol. Hist. Eng. I. 229 Was taken by the head Bailiff of Westminster, that notorious Highway-Robber, Claude de Val.

1796 London Rev. June 386/2 Another class of Receivers are in immediate connection with greater thieves, burglars and highway robbers.

1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. I. ii. 62 In 1513..the benefit of clergy was entirely taken away from murderers and highway robbers.

1883 Cent. Mag. Nov. 28/1 The highway robber..is still busy in these parts.

1943 Billboard 6 Mar. 28/3 An innocent man..who bore an uncanny resemblance to the highway robber, was condemned and guillotined.

2003 T. Al-Khoury Stranger at Door 61 He stopped driving his taxi to nearby villages for fear of exposing himself and his car to highway robbers.

1874 Proc. Tax-payers' Convent. S. Carolina 44 The present administrators of the Government of South Carolina are highway robbers, and should be dealt with accordingly.

1917 R. Connor Major iv. 53 It seemed that in order to win success in business a man must become..a highway robber.

1931 Boys' Life Jan. 57/2 ‘If ever a rotten deal was pulled off on anyone, it's been wrapped up in a prize package and passed to us!’ ‘Dugan and his gang are a bunch of highway robbers!’

2003 L. Larson Turtleneck Soc. xvii. 400 He had it insured after passing through a gauntlet of insurance assassins; and, for a massive sum, had it repaired by a highway robber.