detective work
26
3.4
- noun
- /dɪˈtɛktɪv wɜrk/
:
investigación
- You'll need to do a little detective work to find the puncture.
It's amazing detective work, but that's not the end of the story.
- It's amazing detective work, but that's not the end of the story.
- Blair's textual detective work uncovers A backstage below stairs, view of the classroom and the study.
- Ryan, who's writing a biography of the hero, discovers the enigma goes deeper than mere detective work can fathom.
Examples
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After weeks of detective work, the team uncovered crucial evidence to link the suspect to the crime.
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- Did it take a lot of detective work to find out about another detective?
-
OK, so I will do some detective work and put in the show notes.
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So, look, I go do my detective work, right?
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I sort of like to do my own detective work.
-
You never let me do any real detective work.
-
Look, I did some detective work.
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In a war zone, there was little time or place for detective work.
Academic text (2009) -
I do the detective work, plain and simple.
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"So it looks like we get to start our Saturday with a little detective work, eh?
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
∞
2.9
A careful search for the truth about something
150
5.5
An official investigation into suspected wrongdoing or serious problems
66
3.0
Police investigate crimes and enforce the law
26
2.8
A formal process by police to find facts and catch people who did the crime
22
3.7
Work that involves going to places and finding information
11
4.7
A careful investigation to find the truth
9
3.7
Police work to find and identify the person who committed a crime
8
6.9
Looking into crime or suspicious events like a detective
1
3.0
The act of looking carefully at something to find facts
How Thorough
- Specialized
150
3.9
26
2.8
∞
2.9
26
3.4
- Formal
322
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the activity of investigating and gathering information' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'detective' (an investigator) with 'work' (activity or job). This straightforward noun-noun composition follows common compounding patterns (work done by X) and is easily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Detective work comes from the image of a detective doing slow, careful work, looking for small clues and checking facts. That's why it means 'careful searching and checking to solve a crime or mystery'.