private eye

English edit

Etymology edit

From private investigator and its abbreviation P.I., through the homophonic term eye in place of "I", and the use of "eye" as a reference to surveillance.

Pronunciation edit

Audio (AU) (file)

Noun edit

private eye (plural private eyes)

(idiomatic) A private personal detective, employed to gather information about someone.

Synonyms edit

Translations edit

A private personal detective

Czech: soukromé očko n, soukromý detektiv m
Finnish: yksityisetsivä (fi)
German: Privatdetektiv m, Schnüffler (de) m
Swedish: privatdeckare (sv) c