burglar 復習

ロンドン郊外でイースターのエッグハントをしていた子供たちが、警察のヘリコプターへ向かって矢印を作ったことで、強盗逮捕の手助けをしました。

(CNN)For one group of kids in a small village outside London, an afternoon meant to be spent hunting Easter eggs suddenly turned into a thrilling hunt for burglars.

The children and their families had gathered together on Good Friday for an Easter egg hunt in a field in Capel, located in Surrey.

But an intrusion at a building nearby brought a dramatic police helicopter chase right to them, Surrey police said.

A quiet village egg hunt got interesting when the redhill police helicopter came over for an hour hunting burglars.

With a chopper buzzing overhead and two men suddenly racing across the field, those in the group quickly realized they were witnessing a police pursuit. The kids dropped to the ground and lay out in an arrow-shaped formation to point the authorities the right way.
（中略）

Two men, ages 28 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of burglary in connection with the incident. Both were released on bail until May 13 while the investigation continues.

今回取り上げる単語はburglarです。
『ジーニアス英和辞典』（第５版, 大修館書店）に「強盗、（窃盗目的の）住居不法侵入者、侵入窃盗犯」と載っていました。強盗というとrobberを思いついたので違いを調べてみました。

burglarは"someone who goes into houses, shops etc to steal things"で、robberは"someone who steals money or property"と定義されていました（LDOCE）。

建物に入るか否かなどで名称が変わってくるようです。thief（こっそり持ち去る泥棒）で同英和辞書を引くと，「robberは暴力・脅しによる強盗、burglarは押し入りの夜盗、muggerは路上など公共の場での窃盗」とありました。

今回、捕まった人たちは隣の建物への侵入窃盗の罪で逮捕されたことがわかります。
(flyingbird)