different between perpetrator vs whodunit

English

Etymology

perpetrate +? -or

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p??(?).p?.?t?e?t.?(?)/

Noun

perpetrator (plural perpetrators)

1. One who perpetrates; especially, one who commits an offence or crime.

Synonyms

• arrestee, prisoner
• (slang) perp, collar
• See also Thesaurus:criminal

Translations

Anagrams

• prêt-à-porter

Latin

Verb

perpetr?tor

1. second-person singular future passive imperative of perpetr?
2. third-person singular future passive imperative of perpetr?

References

• perpetrator in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• perpetrator in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Alternative forms

• whodunnit

Etymology

Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration of who done it?

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?hu??d?n.?t/

Noun

whodunit (plural whodunits)

1. A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
   • 1946, Josephina Niggli. Pointers on radio writing (Boston: The Writer, Inc.) page 25

     Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules.

Synonyms

(A fictional story of a crime which a detective solves): detective novel, detective story, mystery story

Hypernyms

(A fictional story of a crime which a detective solves): thriller

Related terms

• howdunit
• wheredunit
• whydunit

Translations

References

• Oxford Dictionaries [1]

See also

• police procedural

Anagrams

• howdunit