second-story man
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of second-story man
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A woman catches a second-story man in her house, engages him in conversation, gives him a drink to get his fingerprints.
From Time Magazine Archive
That the watch and chain were not touched nor the few dollars in the desk drawer was pointed to as positive proof that Ford's assailant was no common sneak thief or second-story man.
From The Black Eagle Mystery by Bonner, Geraldine
I have about as much weight in financial circles as a second-story man, and am regarded in much the same light, while you are as important as a cipher without the rim.
From The Lady Doc by Lockhart, Caroline
"Yes, but this business doesn't make me feel like a pirate—more like a second-story man!"
From The Palace of Darkened Windows by Frederick, Edmund
“Besides,” he said peaceably, “I’m all dressed up pretty now, and it doesn’t look right for a respectable member of society to be pulling off second-story man stunts.”
From The Bandbox by Vance, Louis Joseph
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
