panel house
noun
a brothel having rooms with secret entrances, as sliding panels, for admitting panel thieves.
Origin of panel house
1An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Words Nearby panel house
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use panel house in a sentence
Sometimes he degenerates into a burglar or common thief, sometimes he becomes the proprietor of a panel house or a policy office.
Lights and Shadows of New York Life | James D. McCabeThis broke the panel-house keepers' backbone and they never recovered to resume business again.
Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World | Clifton R. WooldridgeBut they had to have some distinctive appellation, and "panel house" is a convenient generic term.
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