shamus
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See also: Shamus
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Said to be from the Irish name Séamus, on account of many American police officers being of Irish descent.
Pronunciation
[edit]- enPR: shä'məs, IPA(key): /ˈʃɑːməs/
- enPR: shā'məs, IPA(key): /ˈʃeɪməs/
- Rhymes: -eɪməs
- Homophones: Séamus (of -ā-/-eɪ-/-eI- pronunciation)
Noun
[edit]shamus (plural shamuses)
- (US, slang) A private detective; originally, a policeman or police detective.
- 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV:
- “That's what you're here for. Didn't your aunt tell you? She wants you to follow Wilbert Cream and Phyllis about everywhere and see that he doesn't get a chance of proposing.”
“You mean that I'm to be a sort of private eye or shamus, tailing them up? I don't like it,” I said dubiously.
Anagrams
[edit]Ido
[edit]Verb
[edit]shamus
- conditional of shamar