whodunit

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English

WOTD – 2 July 2009
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Alternative forms

Etymology

Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration of who done it?

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/
  • Audio (AU):(file)

Noun

whodunit (plural whodunits)

  1. A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
    • 1946, Josephina Niggli, Pointers on radio writing, Boston: The Writer, Inc., page 25:
      Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules.

Synonyms

(A fictional story of a crime which a detective solves): detective novel, detective story, mystery story

Hypernyms

(A fictional story of a crime which a detective solves): thriller

Translations

References

  • Oxford Dictionaries [1]

See also

Anagrams

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