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gumshoe en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɡʌm.ʃuː/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From gum + shoe.

Meanings

1. A sneaker or rubber overshoe.
2. (slang) A detective.
   • "Who's this gumshoe guy from the bush league tailin' us?" 1920, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 20, in The Big-Town Round-Up:
   • So how does Santa go up and down chimneys and keep his clothes clean? MAIRE NIC SUIBHNE and her junior gumshoes get their claws into assorted Messrs Claus and come up with an answer . . . 1988 December 16, “Grotto busters”, in Evening Standard, London, →OCLC, page 25, column 2:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
gumshoes	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Synonyms

sleuth · detective · private eye · dick

Translations (22)

ro galoș (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · fi dekkari (slang: a detective) · sv deckare (slang: a detective) · sv galosch (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · tr Galoş (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · ro detectiv (slang: a detective) · de Schnüffler (slang: a detective) · pl detektywka (slang: a detective) · bg детектив (slang: a detective) · hy խուզարկու (slang: a detective) · bn টিকটিকি (slang: a detective) · pl kalosz (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · fi kumitossu (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · hy կրկնակոշիկ (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · fi kyttä (slang: a detective) · is spæjari (slang: a detective) · ru гало́ша (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · es sabueso (slang: a detective) · pl detektyw (slang: a detective) · bg гало́ш (sneaker or rubber overshoe) · ru детекти́в (slang: a detective) · fi kalossi (sneaker or rubber overshoe)

gumshoe en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɡʌm.ʃuː/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From gum + shoe.

Meanings

1. (slang) To act as a detective.
   • But these days, more and more women are gumshoeing through the pages of murder mysteries. 1988 September 23, Achy Obejas, “Calendar”, in Chicago Reader:
   • The next thing they did was to send a man sent down there from Baltimore and he spent a good deal of time gumshoeing around in that county trying to get another individual put in as secretary-treasurer. 1933, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Agriculture, Hearings, page 25:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
gumshoeing	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
gumshoed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
gumshoed	Tense=Past		lexicographic
gumshoes	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres		lexicographic

Relateds

galoshes

Translations (3)

pl węszyć (to act as a detective) · pl pracować jako detektyw (to act as a detective) · de schnüffeln (to act as a detective)