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gumshoe

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gum⋅shoe

  [guhm-shoo] noun, verb, -shoed, -shoe⋅ing.
Use gumshoe in a Sentence
–noun
1. Slang. a detective.
2. a shoe made of gum elastic or India rubber; rubber overshoe.
3. sneaker (def. 1).
–verb (used without object)
4. Slang.
a. to work as a detective.
b. to go softly, as if wearing rubber shoes; move or act snoopily or stealthily.
Origin:
1860–65, Americanism; gum 1 + shoe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gum·shoe   (gŭm'shōō')   
n.  

  1. A sneaker or rubber overshoe.

  2. Slang An investigator, especially a detective.

intr.v.   gum·shoed, gum·shoe·ing, gum·shoes Slang

  1. To work as a detective.

  2. To move about stealthily; sneak.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
gumshoe [ˈgəmˈʃu]

  1. n.
    a policeman or a detective. (Underworld. Also a term of address. So named for wearing silent, gum-rubber soles.) : Has that gumshoe been around asking questions again?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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