Early 20th century: from the name of a detective in the play The Ticket-of-Leave Man by Tom Taylor (1817–80), English dramatist; also portrayed in the comic strip Hawkshaw the Detective by Augustus Charles (‘Gus’) Mager (1878–1956), American cartoonist.
Definition of hawkshaw in US English:
hawkshaw
nounˈhôkˌSHô
dated, informal
A detective.
〈非正式，旧〉侦探
Origin
Early 20th century: from the name of a detective in the play The Ticket-of-Leave Man by Tom Taylor (1817–80), English dramatist; also portrayed in the comic strip Hawkshaw the Detective by Augustus Charles (‘Gus’) Mager (1878–1956), American cartoonist.