Sleuthing is the work of trying to find out the truth about a crime: looking for clues, asking questions, following a trail. The person who does that work is a sleuth — an informal, slightly old-fashioned word for a detective.

Sleuthing is the work sleuthing是那種工作，of trying to find out the truth about a crime想辦法查出一件罪案的真相：looking for clues找線索、asking questions問問題、following a trail跟著蹤跡追查。The person who does that work is a sleuth做這件事的人叫做sleuth，an informal, slightly old-fashioned word for a detective是一個不正式、有點老派的說法，指偵探。

People stretch sleuthing far past the police. A student who quietly checks old newspapers, or a neighbour who tries to work out who took the bike, may say they are “doing a bit of sleuthing.” It often sounds playful, like a story, rather than cold and official.

People stretch sleuthing far past the police人們把sleuthing這個字用得比警察的範圍寬廣得多。A student who quietly checks old newspapers一個安靜翻查舊報紙的學生，or a neighbour who tries to work out who took the bike或一個想查出是誰拿走腳踏車的鄰居，may say they are "doing a bit of sleuthing"可能會說自己在「做點sleuthing偵查」。It often sounds playful, like a story這聽起來常常很有趣，像個故事，rather than cold and official而不是冷冰冰、官方的感覺。

Police themselves more often say investigating. You will meet sleuthing as a kind of action-noun (the work) and as the -ing form of the verb to sleuth.

Police themselves more often say investigating警察自己比較常說investigating調查。You will meet sleuthing as a kind of action-noun (the work)你會看到sleuthing當成一種動作名詞（指那件工作），and as the -ing form of the verb to sleuth也會看到它當成動詞to sleuth的-ing形式。