- Panel thief
- Panel Pan"el, n. [Orig., a little piece; OF. panel, pannel, F.
panneau, dim. of pan skirt, lappet, part or piece of a wall,
side. See 2d {Pane}.]
1. (Arch.) A sunken compartment with raised margins, molded
or otherwise, as in ceilings, wainscotings, etc.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Law) (a) A piece of parchment or a schedule, containing the names of persons summoned as jurors by the sheriff; hence, more generally, the whole group of persons summoned on a particular day, from whom a jury is to be selected; also, the jury selected from that group. --Blackstone. (b) (Scots Law) A prisoner arraigned for trial at the bar of a criminal court. --Burrill. [1913 Webster]
3. Hence: Any group of persons selected to judge a contest, conduct a discussion, serve as advisers, or participate in any group activity in which they will provide information or make judgments. [PJC]
4. Formerly, a piece of cloth serving as a saddle; hence, a soft pad beneath a saddletree to prevent chafing. [1913 Webster]
5. (Joinery) A board having its edges inserted in the groove of a surrounding frame; as, the panel of a door. [1913 Webster]
6. (Masonry) One of the faces of a hewn stone. --Gwilt. [1913 Webster]
7. (Painting) A slab or plank of wood upon which, instead of canvas, a picture is painted. [1913 Webster]
8. (Mining) (a) A heap of dressed ore. (b) One of the districts divided by pillars of extra size, into which a mine is laid off in one system of extracting coal. [1913 Webster]
9. (Dressmaking) A plain strip or band, as of velvet or plush, placed at intervals lengthwise on the skirt of a dress, for ornament. [1913 Webster]
10. A portion of a framed structure between adjacent posts or struts, as in a bridge truss. [1913 Webster]
11. (A["e]ronautics) A segment of an a["e]roplane wing. In a biplane the outer panel extends from the wing tip to the next row of posts, and is trussed by oblique stay wires. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Panel game}, a method of stealing money in a panel house.
{Panel house}, a house of prostitution in which the rooms have secret entrances to facilitate theft from customers by accomplices of the inmates.
{Panel saw}, handsaw with fine teeth, -- used for cutting out panels, etc.
{Panel thief}, one who robs in a panel house. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.