gumshoe

[guhm-shoo]

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noun

Slang. a detective.
a shoe made of gum elastic or India rubber; rubber overshoe.
sneaker(def 1).

verb (used without object), gum·shoed, gum·shoe·ing.

Slang.
1. to work as a detective.
2. to go softly, as if wearing rubber shoes; move or act snoopily or stealthily.

Origin of gumshoe

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; gum¹ + shoe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gumshoe

Contemporary Examples

Montalbán endowed his Catalan gumshoe with an equally impressive set of quirks that are aired and explored in each book.
The Foodie Detective: The Pepe Carvalho Novels by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
Malcolm Forbes
October 3, 2012
In some ways, The Hypnotist hews closer to the American gumshoe tradition.
It’s Not Easy Being Swede
Lizzie Skurnick
June 17, 2011
The book on which I was doing all the gumshoe reporting, Godtalk, is now a time capsule.
My Meetings With the Man Behind the Mosque
Brad Gooch
August 19, 2010

Historical Examples

Mr. Pepper don't like the idea, though, of doin' the gumshoe sneak.
Torchy
Sewell Ford
And consider the appropriateness of the figures of speech, as Gumshoe would say.
Deering of Deal
Latta Griswold
One for the Gumshoe, said Tony blithely, as they turned onto the campus.
Deering of Deal
Latta Griswold
But theres nothing I can do; Im in with Gumshoe worse than ever.
Deering of Deal
Latta Griswold
To heck with the Gumshoe; bounds are off for the afternoon anyway.
Deering of Deal
Latta Griswold

British Dictionary definitions for gumshoe

gumshoe

noun

a waterproof overshoe
US and Canadian a rubber-soled shoe
US and Canadian slang a detective or one who moves about stealthily
US and Canadian slang a stealthy action or movement

verb -shoes, -shoeing or -shoed

(intr) US and Canadian slang to act stealthily

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gumshoe

n.

"plainclothes detective," 1906, from the rubber-soled shoes they wore (which were so called from 1863); from gum (n.1) + shoe (n.).

gumshoe

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}gumshoe

Examples from the Web for gumshoe

Contemporary Examples

Montalbán endowed his Catalan gumshoe with an equally impressive set of quirks that are aired and explored in each book.

In some ways, The Hypnotist hews closer to the American gumshoe tradition.

The book on which I was doing all the gumshoe reporting, Godtalk, is now a time capsule.

Historical Examples

Mr. Pepper don't like the idea, though, of doin' the gumshoe sneak.

And consider the appropriateness of the figures of speech, as Gumshoe would say.

One for the Gumshoe, said Tony blithely, as they turned onto the campus.

But theres nothing I can do; Im in with Gumshoe worse than ever.

To heck with the Gumshoe; bounds are off for the afternoon anyway.

gumshoe

Word Origin and History for gumshoe

n.

Origin of gumshoe