E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Robert Macaire.
He’s a Robert Macaire. A bluff, free-living, unblushing libertine, who commits the most horrible crimes without stint or compunction. It is a character in M. Daumier’s drama of L’Auberge des Adrets. His accomplice is Bertrand, a simpleton and villain. (See MACAIRE.)
