rogues' gallery

== English == === Etymology === From rogue +‎ gallery. Popularized by American detectives Allan Pinkerton and Thomas F. Byrnes. === Pronunciation === === Noun === rogues' gallery (plural rogues' galleries) A set of pictures of convicted or suspected criminals used in law enforcement investigations to help witnesses identify suspects. 1866, "Readings for the Young: The Rogues' Gallery," in The Christian Treasury, Johnstone, Hunter & Co. (Edinburgh), pp. 322-323: When the policemen arrest a man . . . if there is good reason to suspect him, they take his picture before they let him go. . . . Then they put the picture up in the rogues' gallery among the others, where everybody who comes there can see it. (idiomatic, by extension) Any group of lawbreakers or other disreputable characters. (fiction) The set of supervillains associated with a particular superhero or comic book title. ==== Alternative forms ==== rogue gallery ==== See also ==== murderers' row === Further reading === rogues' gallery on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “rogues gallery”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.