phrase
Bonnie and Clyde
A romantic outlaw couple — lawless together, going down together.
Origin
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were real Depression-era American criminals who robbed and killed across the central United States between 1932 and 1934, when they were ambushed and shot to death by police in Louisiana. Arthur Penn's 1967 film with Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mythologized them as glamorous, doomed lovers and is the version that actually fuels the phrase.
Modern usage
Standard for any criminal or just-against-the-rules couple — financial fraudsters, hackers, scammers, partners-in-crime in the loosest sense. Used affectionately too: 'me and her are like Bonnie and Clyde' is a flirt, not a confession.
In the wild
The pair ran the scheme as Bonnie and Clyde — she handled the marks, he moved the money.— true-crime reporting
Tags
couple
outlaw
doomed