Where does “flash rob” come from?

flash rob (English) comes from English Rob, from Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Old French rober, from Latin raubāre, from Frankish raubōn, from Proto-Germanic raubōną, from Proto-Indo-European Hrewp- — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.

flash rob (English): A form of organized theft in which a group of people enter a shop en masse and steal merchandise, while the employees are overwhelmed by sheer numbers

Definitions

  1. A form of organized theft in which a group of people enter a shop en masse and steal merchandise, while the employees are overwhelmed by sheer numbers

Ancestry of “flash rob”, step by step

flash rob traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Rob

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRobderived from Robert
2Middle EnglishrobbenTo steal, rob, or pilfer; to illegally or...
3Anglo-Normanrobber
4Old Frenchroberto rob; to steal
5Latinraubāre
6Frankishraubōnto rob, plunder; to rob, to steal, to plunder
7Proto-Germanicraubōnąto rob, steal, plunder
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrewp-to break, tear
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrew-to tear out, dig out, open, acquire

via English flash mob

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishflash mobA group of people who rapidly assemble, perform...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hrew-