Definition

1. Noun:
   • A private detective employed by a hotel or retail store: A "house dick" is a slang term for a private investigator or security agent who works directly for a specific establishment, such as a hotel or department store, to prevent theft, investigate internal issues, or handle discreet security matters.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The hotel manager called the house dick to investigate the missing jewelry from the safe.
  • Store policy required the house dick to monitor for shoplifters in plain clothes.

Advanced Usage

• The term is considered informal and dated, originating from early 20th-century American slang. It is rarely used in modern formal contexts but may appear in historical fiction or films.
  • In the noir film, the house dick was always one step behind the con artist.

Variants and Related Words

• House detective (n): A more standard, less slangy term for the same role.
  • The house detective resolved the complaint quietly.

Synonyms

• Store detective: Specifically for retail settings.
• Hotel detective: Specifically for hotel settings.
• Private investigator (PI): A more general term.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• On the house payroll: Emphasizes the detective is a direct employee of the establishment.
  • He wasn't a cop; he was on the house payroll.

Noun

1. a private detective employed by a hotel or retail store