escape artist

English

Noun

escape artist (plural escape artists)

1. A person who is skilled at escaping from confinement, for example from prisons.
   • 1972, United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Crime, American Prisons in Turmoil: Hearings, page 615:

     Whether he is an escape artist, whether he is a known troublemaker and agitator, fights, and one thing or another. All these things are taken into consideration by the committee before a decision is made.

   • 2001, Claire Rudolf Murphy, Jane G. Haigh, Gold Rush Dogs, page 40:

     They do not mention that if the dog is like Nero, it can be a regular escape artist, pulling out chains or breaking ropes.

2. An entertainer who performs escapes from perilous situations such as cages, coffins, and straitjackets.

   Hyponym: handcuff artist

Translations

person skilled in escaping from confinement

• Finnish: kahlekuningas (fi)
• Galician: escapista m or f
• German: Ausbrecherkönig (de) m
• Hungarian: szabadulóművész
• Swedish: utbrytarkung (sv) c

entertainer

• German: Entfesselungskünstler (de) m

See also

• quick-change artist