the.com/burglary
the only crime that legally ends the moment you cross the threshold uninvited
means The crime of unlawfully entering a building with the intent to commit an offense inside, typically theft.
from From Anglo-Latin burglaria, built on the medieval Latin burgator, 'a burglar,' itself likely tied to burgus, a fortified town or dwelling (a cousin of the same Germanic root that gives us 'borough'). The second syllable has long tempted people to hear Latin latro, 'thief,' lurking in there — a tidy story, but the connection is uncertain and probably just a happy echo. The word slipped from courtroom Latin into English legal use and has been describing the unwelcome guest ever since.
- breaking optional
- Pushing an open door still counts as breaking in
- night clause
- Old English law judged it harsher after dark
- peak hours
- Most break-ins happen midday, not midnight
- intent matters
- Trespass becomes burglary only with criminal purpose inside
watergate break-in — 1972 burglary of democratic national committee headquarters in washington dc that toppled nixon