whodunit

• whodunnit

Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/

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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.

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

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

• police procedural

• Oxford Dictionaries

• howdunit