Robin Hood

English

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of Robert

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham.

Robin Hood

  1. A legendary English outlaw famous for his skill in archery and his vow to defend the poor and the oppressed against established authority.
  2. A village in the Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE3227).
  3. A locality near Drouin, Victoria, Australia.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

Robin Hood (plural Robin Hoods)

  1. A criminal or vigilante with similar social tendencies.
    • 1862, Henry T. Spicer, “Black Flags in the Channel”, in Charles Dickens, editor, All the Year Round, volume 6, page 523:
      There were still nobly-born and accomplished sea-rovers — Robin Hoods of the wave — []
    • 1954, “Stupid Cupid”, Howard Greenfield (lyrics), Neil Sedaka (music), performed by Connie Francis:
      Hey now, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart.
    • 2002, Peter Drahos, John Braithwaite, Information Feudalism: Who Owns the Knowledge Economy?:
      Of course the story is more interesting and complex than that; there are Robin Hoods of infofeudalism – the Free Software Movement and many groups like Napster.

Further reading

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