escape artist

noun

1. an entertainer expert in getting out of handcuffs, ropes, chains, trunks, or other confining devices.
2. an inmate of a prison who has a reputation for being able to escape confinement.

Word History and Origins

Origin of escape artist¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

There’s so much potential in the 35-acre expanse that dates to the 1880s and was once a symbol of municipal pride, as well as a setting for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton movies and for a stunt in which escape artist Harry Houdini jumped into the lake in chains.

From Los Angeles Times

You want to solve them not for the sake of the puzzles themselves but for the sake of the character and the story,” says Lisa Spira, co-founder of Room Escape Artist, a site dedicated to the escape room sector.

From Los Angeles Times

Love him or hate him — and there’s little in between — they have long considered him an escape artist through career-spanning thickets of legal, business and political thorns.

From Seattle Times

“Look at how many other times he has gotten away with things. He is an extraordinary escape artist.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The Ladder, in terms of North American escape rooms, is definitely one of the top five most-anticipated games of the moment, propbably top two or three,” said David Spira, co-founder of Room Escape Artist, a website dedicated to the art of puzzle making.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• escapologist
• Houdini