whodunit
nounUK, US /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/
Etymology Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. An alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
1
A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
- 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.1946, Josephina Niggli, Pointers on radio writing, Boston: The Writer, Inc., page 25:
- Related terms
- howdunit, wheredunit, whydunit, police procedural