Housebreaking n. The act of breaking open and entering, with a felonious purpose, the dwelling house of another, whether done by day or night. See Burglary, and To break a house, under Break.
... as a temporary jail, the principal prison of Caracas having been destroyed by the earthquake and left as it fell. Nevertheless, the room to which I was taken seemed quite strong enough to hold anybody unsupplied with housebreaking implements or less ingenious than Jack Sheppard. The door was thick and well bolted, the window or grating (for it was, of course, destitute of glass) high and heavily barred, yet not too high to be reached with a little contrivance. Mounting the single ... — Mr. Fortescue • William Westall
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