26 APRIL 1913, Page 32

BAD WORDS.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

Sin,—The first definition of a housebreaker in the Oxford Dictionary is "One who breaks open and enters a house with intent to commit robbery or other felony." This usage has been traced as early as 1340; whereas the other sense of the word, viz., "One whose business it is to demolish houses," appears not to be known to the editor of the dictionary or his assistants as being in use prior to 1875.-4 am, Sir, &c., J. T. K.