shamus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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The heroes are typically amateur or private detectives, possibly quirky, often women, sometimes a couple; they aren’t likely to suffer the afflictions common to the hard-boiled shamus — depression, rage, alcoholism, untreated trauma.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
Dashiell Hammett’s detective Sam Spade did his shamus business in the fogs of San Francisco, but Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe made L.A. the noir capital.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2022
And as the Honolulu-based shamus Thomas Magnum, a journeyman actor named Tom Selleck made himself a star on the strength of a twinkling smile and a modest gift for self-deprecating humor.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2018
K does his grim job thoroughly and without complaint, showing the weary, cynical patience of an old-time shamus.
From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2017
I've got friends in PIB—real friends, not the shamus crowd you're acquainted with that'll take you for your last nickel and then leave you to starve.
From Bear Trap by Alan Edward Nourse
Philip Marlowe at quarterback, Easy Rawlins at strong safety, and a fierce defensive line of framed shamuses.
From New York Times ● Jul. 17, 2020
Lionel is one of a handful of shamuses — Bobby Cannavale, Ethan Suplee and Dallas Roberts play the others — known as Minna’s men.
From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2019
Since his death, several of the shamuses in his earlier stories have been renamed Philip Marlowe, a nod to the primacy and enduring power of that character.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2014
