Thief catcher. Same as Thief taker. — Thief leader, one who leads or
takes away a thief. L'Estrange. — Thief taker, one whose business is to
find and capture thieves and bring them to justice. — Thief tube, a
tube for withdrawing a sample of a liquid from a cask. — Thieves'
vinegar, a kind of aromatic vinegar for the sick room, taking its name
from the story that thieves, by using it, were enabled to plunder, with
impunity to health, in the great plague at London. [Eng.]
Syn. — Robber; pilferer. — Thief, Robber. A thief takes our property by
stealth; a robber attacks us openly, and strips us by main force.
Take heed, have open eye, for thieves do foot by night.
Shak.
Some roving robber calling to his fellows.
Milton.
Thief"ly, a. & adv. Like a thief; thievish; thievishly. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Thi"ë*none (?), n. [Thiënyl + ketone.] (Chem.) A ketone derivative of
thiophene obtained as a white crystalline substance, (C4H3S)2.CO, by
the action of aluminium chloride and carbonyl chloride on thiophene.
Thi"ë*nyl (?), n. [Thiophene + -yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical radical
C4H3S, regarded as the essential residue of thiophene and certain of
its derivatives.
Thieve (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Thieved (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Thieving.] [AS. geþeófian.] To practice theft; to steal.
Thiev"er*y (?), n. 1. The practice of stealing; theft; thievishness.
Among the Spartans, thievery was a practice morally good and honest.
South.