Sam Spade
/ˌsæm ˈspeɪd/
/ˌsæm ˈspeɪd/
- a character created in 1930 by the US writer Dashiell Hammett in his book The Maltese Falcon. Spade is a tough but honest private detective (= person who investigates crimes but is not a member of the police). Hammett also wrote Sam Spade stories for Black Mask magazine. compare Philip Marlowe