Detective Vocabulary

noun a mistake or error

preposition to come upon or discover by chance

• While exploring the forest, we happened to blunder upon a hidden waterfall.
• I can't believe we blundered upon that cool new restaurant last night.
• We totally blundered upon some free concert tickets for tonight.
• Sometimes in life, we blunder upon unexpected opportunities that lead to great things.

noun a piece of evidence or information used in the detection of a crime or solving of a mystery

• The detective carefully examined the clue left at the crime scene.
• I can't figure out this clue, can you help me?
• I'm totally lost, I need a clue to solve this puzzle.
• Her sudden silence was a clue that something was wrong.

noun a revealing or obvious clue

adjective clear or unmistakable

• The fingerprints found at the crime scene were a dead giveaway of the suspect's identity.
• Her nervous laughter was a dead giveaway that she was lying.
• His flashy gold chain was a dead giveaway that he was trying to impress someone.
• The dark clouds gathering in the sky were a dead giveaway that a storm was approaching.

verb to figure out or solve a problem or situation

• I need some time to fig out the best approach to solving this problem.
• I can't seem to fig out how to use this new software.
• I'm trying to fig out what to wear to the party tonight.
• She couldn't fig out why he had suddenly stopped talking to her.

adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'mysteriously' describes how something is done in a mysterious manner

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb by providing information on how an action is performed or how something is described

• The ancient artifact mysteriously disappeared from the museum overnight.
• She mysteriously stopped answering my calls out of the blue.
• That party was so wild, people were mysteriously vanishing left and right.
• Her emotions were like a dark storm cloud, swirling mysteriously inside her.

verb to detect or track down by or as if by using the sense of smell

• The detective was able to sniff out the culprit in no time.
• I can always count on my dog to sniff out the best hiding spots during hide and seek.
• I heard that the new employee can sniff out a good deal from a mile away.
• She has a keen ability to sniff out the truth in any situation.

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'sign' is a noun that refers to an indication or evidence of something.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'telltale' is an adjective that describes the type of sign as being revealing or indicative of something.

• The telltale sign of a well-run organization is its strong financial performance.
• The telltale sign that the party was a success was the empty chip bowls and full trash cans.
• Her nervous fidgeting was a telltale sign that she was lying.
• The dark clouds gathering on the horizon were a telltale sign of the storm approaching.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

interjection a word or phrase that expresses a sudden feeling or emotion

• The detective was able to solve the case using his keen observation skills. No shit Sherlock!
• I told my friend that the sky is blue and he responded with 'no shit Sherlock!'
• When I mentioned that it was raining outside, my brother sarcastically said 'no shit Sherlock!'
• After pointing out the obvious mistake, my coworker replied with 'no shit Sherlock!'