sleuthhound

Thân thiện

A sleuthhound follows a scent trail through the forest.

Definition

Noun: 1. A bloodhound: A breed of large, powerful dog originally from Europe, characterized by an extremely acute sense of smell and historically used for tracking people or animals by scent. 2. A detective; an investigator: A person, especially a detective, who diligently follows clues or a trail to solve a mystery or crime. This usage is figurative and somewhat old-fashioned.

Usage Examples

• Referring to the dog breed:
  • The police used a sleuthhound to follow the fugitive's scent through the forest.
  • With its legendary nose, the sleuthhound is unmatched in tracking.
• Referring to a detective:
  • The old novel featured a brilliant sleuthhound who solved the case using only logic and observation.
  • He worked as a private sleuthhound, taking on cases the police had abandoned.

Advanced Usage

• The term sleuthhound for a detective carries a connotation of tenacity and skill in following subtle clues, much like the dog. It is more literary and less common in modern speech than synonyms like "detective" or "investigator."
• It can be used metaphorically for anyone who diligently pursues information:

Variants and Related Words

• Sleuth (noun): A detective. This is a more common and shortened form of "sleuthhound" when referring to an investigator.
  • Agatha Christie created many famous sleuths.
• Bloodhound (noun): The direct and more common term for the dog breed. "Sleuthhound" is a synonym for this breed.

Synonyms

• For the dog: Bloodhound, tracker.
• For the person: Detective, investigator, private eye, gumshoe (slang), operative.

Idioms and Related Phrases

• To sleuth / To play the sleuth: To investigate or act like a detective.
  • He loved to sleuth around the old house, looking for clues about its history.
• On the scent: Actively following clues. This idiom directly relates to the tracking ability of the sleuthhound dog.
  • The journalist was on the scent of a major scandal.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a breed of large powerful hound of European origin having very acute smell and used in tracking
2. a detective who follows a trail

Từ đồng nghĩa

• bloodhound
• sleuth