whodunit
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
Pronunciation
Noun
whodunit (plural whodunits)
- 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
Related terms
Translations
a crime novel or drama