A robber or mugger was a thief who stole items with the threat of or committal of physical harm. One specific type of robber was the highwayman or hedge robber, who "bushwhacked" and robbed travelers.
When Cyrano Jones attempted to sell tribbles to the a bartender working on Deep Space Station K-7 in 2268, he offered them at a price of eight and a half credits, before receiving a counteroffer six credits. Jones attempted to meet halfway but saw that the bartender wouldn't budge, and gave in, stating, "all right, you robber, six credits." (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles")
When René Picard encountered Jean-Luc Picard outside La Barre, France on Earth in 2367, the elder Picard playfully called René a highwayman. René was not familiar with the term, so Picard defined it, explaining no highwaymen had been reported in that area for centuries. René then stated he was not a robber. (TNG: "Family")
Later that year, during Q's recreation of Sherwood Forest, Maid Marian (aka Vash) requested that her servant go into to seek out Robin Hood (aka Jean-Luc Picard. The servant balked at the idea of going out as "this time of night", citing that "it's dark. I'll get lost. Besides, it's not safe. What with all them hedge robbers and worse lurking about." (TNG: "Qpid")
External link
- Robber at Wikipedia
- Highwayman at Wikipedia