whodunit

especially British, who·dun·nit

[hoo-duhn-it]

noun

Informal.

1. a narrative dealing with a murder or a series of murders and the detection of the criminal; detective story.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whodunit¹

1925–30; jocular formation from question Who done it?, for standard English Who did it?

Example Sentences

Secret Service is among the agencies deployed to investigate the escalator whodunit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This year, she’s vying for lead actress in a comedy for her performance as an eccentric gumshoe on the Netflix whodunit “The Residence.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s a classic whodunit story with Harper — who has plenty of secrets of her own — playing the role of the reluctant detective.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Throw the audience off with a whole lot of silliness and nonsense, and there’s a good chance they’ll forget that a whodunit like this should be building intrigue as it goes.

Read more on Salon

“Ludwig” is already a hit in the U.K., land of the upbeat whodunit, and its second season pickup can’t have been a surprise.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• conundrum 
• enigma 
• problem 
• question 
• riddle 
• secrecy 
• subtlety 
• thriller