private eye
Licensed civilian investigator
A private eye is a private detective—someone hired to investigate matters outside official law enforcement.
The term comes from the Pinkerton Detective Agency's logo, an open eye with the slogan "We Never Sleep." The phrase evokes the hard-boiled detective fiction of the mid-20th century: He hired a private eye to tail his business partner.
Often shortened to P.I.
Informal term for detective
- shamusSlang term for sleuth
- dickVulgar anatomical slang
- peeperOne who looks slyly
- sleuthPrivate investigator
skip tracer · bounty hunter · licensed · retainer · client · hired · fee · agency
Prolonged covert observation
- tailRear animal appendage
- shadowLight blocked by object
- trackPath or monitored route
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
informant · interrogate · canvass · legwork · background check · missing persons · adultery · insurance fraud
Soft creased felt hat
- trench coatBelted, double-breasted raincoat
- cigarettePaper-wrapped tobacco cylinder
- whiskeyOak-aged grain spirit
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
hardboiled · seedy · back alley · neon · voiceover · cynical · world-weary · dame
Identity-concealing alteration
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- wiretapHidden listening device
- buggingSecretly recording conversations
- eavesdropListen to private conversations
hidden camera · telephoto lens · binoculars · dossier · case file · notes · photographs · recording
gumshoe
Informal term for detective
sleuth · skip tracer · bounty hunter · licensed · retainer · client · hired · fee · agency · office
stakeout
Prolonged covert observation
surveillance · informant · interrogate · canvass · legwork · background check · missing persons · adultery · insurance fraud · cold case
fedora
Soft creased felt hat
- trench coatBelted, double-breasted raincoat
- cigarettePaper-wrapped tobacco cylinder
- whiskeyOak-aged grain spirit
femme fatale · hardboiled · seedy · back alley · neon · voiceover · cynical · world-weary · dame · Hammett
disguise
Identity-concealing alteration
- undercoverSecretly engaged in espionage
- wiretapHidden listening device
- buggingSecretly recording conversations
eavesdrop · hidden camera · telephoto lens · binoculars · dossier · case file · notes · photographs · recording · tailing
- crime fictionmurder mystery, whodunit, crime novel, mystery novels, crime stories
- crime investigationwhodunit, investigation, detectives, smoking gun, clue
- mysteryclue, suspect, clues, sleuth, whodunit
- mystery fictionwhodunit, whodunnit, sleuth, murder mystery, crime fiction
- Detectivessleuth, gumshoe, PI, shamus, inspector
- investigationinvestigation, evidence, clue, case, suspect
private eyepolice officer
Law enforcement agent
cop · police detective · federal agent · FBI agent · sheriff
private eyebeat cop
Officer assigned regular route
public figure · celebrity · public servant · public official · patrol officer
eye, private, privacy, detective, investigator, privy, private detective, private eyes