Sherlock Holmes: Trifles
Episodes
Justice, Part 2: Disproportionate
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I do not feel justified in doing it" [HOUN] In the last episode, we talked about the uncertainty of justice at the conclusion of some stories. D...
Justice, Part 1: Unresolved
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It's every man's business to see justice done" [CROO] Everyone likes a neat ending. The case is solved, the criminal is caught, and justice is s...
Ships Ahoy
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"the writer was on board of a ship." [FIVE] We were inspired by two articles in the Baker Street Journal, some forty years apart. Each made a study ...
The Historicity of Sherlock Holmes
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"an historical curiosity" [MUSG] It's the third week of the month, which means it's our regular feature in Season 4: Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theoris...
The Eternal Triangle
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I have never loved" [DEVI] When you think of crimes in the Sherlock Holmes stories, many of them were crimes of passion. In a 1981 article in The Bak...
I Must Confess
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Indeed, if I may make a full confession to you" [FINA] They say confession is good for the soul. It's also good for the detective story. Sherlock...
Insomnia
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It may give him a sleepless night" [FIVE] Have you had trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone. There were plenty of people in the Sherlock Hol...
Billy the Page
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Billy advanced and drew away" [MAZA] We're used to reading about Mrs. Hudson ushering clients in and out, and providing various domestic services...
Friend or Foe?
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"we have got a foeman who is worthy of our steel" [HOUN] There are a handful of cases where Sherlock Holmes meets an opponent who is formidable an...
We Have Much to Hope From the Flowers
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"a highly sensational and flowery rendering" [SIXN] Flowers appear in a handful of spots in the Sherlock Holmes stories. More than the famous ros...
A Colonel of Truth
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"the Colonel's manner has been just a trifle cavalier" [SILV] Having spent the last episode discussing the unusual setting and Holmes and Watson's...
Squiring Around
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"the fellows are still at large" [REIG] In "The Reigate Squires," we find Sherlock Holmes ill and uprooted — staying in a country house — which,...
The Mystery of Watson's Second Wound
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Your hand stole towards your own old wound" [CARD] Watson returns from Afghanistan, recovering from a wound in the shoulder and the aftereffects of...
Jumping to Conclusions
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"the best and only final clue" [3STU] In "The Adventure of the Three Students," Holmes has a litany of clues at his disposal. From balls of doughy c...
Upbeat Moments in the Canon
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"my heart jumped so with joy" [STUD] We commonly see clients who come to Sherlock Holmes riddled with despair and grief. But if we look closely e...
Loneliness and Isolation in the Canon
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"helped a little to fill up the gap of loneliness and isolation" [MAZA] There are many tragic figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more th...
Watson Was a Woman
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Watson, the fair sex is your department" [SECO] There was a scandal in Sherlockian circles in the early 1940s. Author Rex Stout, BSI ("The Boscom...
Post-Reichenbach Arrangements
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I made every disposition of my property before leaving England" [EMPT] After Holmes "died" at the Reichenbach Falls, wouldn't people have looked ...
Infectious Diseases in the Canon
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"he contracted some loathsome disease" [YELL] Dr. Watson was a general practitioner, and one "with very limited experience and mediocre qualificat...
Shaky Foundations in The Norwood Builder
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"work which will cut deep at the very foundations" [GOLD] "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" first appeared in print in 1903 as part of The Ret...
Was Sherlock Holmes an American?
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I saw the American stamp" [DANC] For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Ho...
Victorian Vegetarians
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant" [REDH] We have plenty of instances of animal flesh on the side-board, whether it's a couple ...
Black History in the Canon
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"should not gossip about there being a black child in the neighborhood." [YELL] Steve Dixie in "The Three Gables," Lucy Hebron in "The Yellow Face,"...
The Final Mycroft Problem
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I had only one confidant—my brother Mycroft." [EMPT] Why did Mycroft put himself in harm's way for Sherlock Holmes when the latter faced his arch...
Army Coaches
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"enormous sums of money" [SILV] Here's one of those things that lends itself to the title of this podcast. We were thinking about Professor Moriar...
The Date of the Sign of Four
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." [CREE] With Season 4, we're starting a new monthly series that we're calling "Mr. Sh...
British Food
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"cuisine is a little limited" [NAVA] We find a smattering of food references throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. But which can be considered c...
Fog
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"befogged in mind" [SIGN] Weather conditions not only play a part in the settings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but in some cases, they determin...
Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"I am a born sportsman" [LAST] In a lifetime crammed with high adventure, his brilliant achievements in crime detection obscured his remarkable sk...
Bohemians and Sherlock Holmes
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"his whole Bohemian soul" [SCAN] The last in our series of episodes on international interactions with Sherlock Holmes brings us to the now-defunc...
Minus Watson, Part 2
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"I was alone." [BLAN] Sherlock Holmes was occasionally without his Boswell. Watson was married at least twice – some scholars even claim there ...
Minus Watson, Part 1
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"the only selfish action which I can recall in our association" [BLAN] Sherlock Holmes was a loner. An independent consultant. An automaton. But h...
Hats
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"his strange headgear" [SPEC] Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with a certain type of hat. We don't need to mention the kind. You know what it is. Bu...
Asians and Sherlock Holmes
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"from their East Indian colonies" [RESI] "Asian" isn't a term that pops up in the Sherlock Holmes canon. And yet we meet a handful of individuals ...
Swimming
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Going for a swim, I see." [LION] How many swimmers do we encounter in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Given that only one story is centered around a...
Weather or Not
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"you had been out in vile weather" [SCAN] Think about the number of times we come across inclement weather in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's al...
Aliases and Disguises
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"It is always awkward doing business with an alias." [BLUE] Back in Episode 96, we chatted about the many disguises and other identities of Sherloc...
Canadians and Sherlock Holmes
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"this young stranger from Canada" [HOUN] Canadians are so polite. Why, Sir Henry barely complained of being killed by his family's legendary spect...
Classism in the Sherlock Holmes Stories
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a very different level to your Majesty" [SCAN] "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" has a similar theme to that of "The Adventure of the Noble Bachel...
Shooting and Hunting
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"excellent wild-duck shooting" [GLOR] When we think of English country estates, it's only natural to think of outdoor activities. In many cases this...
Third Time's a Charm
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"three times repeated" [FIVE] There's a familiar plot device that runs throughout a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. That number is three, but do ...
Beards in the Sherlock Holmes Stories
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"he was bearded" [SIGN] Well this is embarrassing. As we finished our editing and prepared to leave for a business trip, we realized one critical f...
Indians and Sherlock Holmes
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"he still made India too hot to hold him" [EMPT] India is a wonderful land. And it plays a part in a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. Certainly, i...
En Garde! Singlestick
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"I'm a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know" [ILLU] In listing Sherlock Holmes's limits in A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson indicates that Holmes...
Music in the Canon, Part 2: Musicians, Instruments, and Venues
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Let us escape from this weary workaday world by the side door of music." [RETI] Sherlock Holmes took a great interest in musicians and concerts, ...
Music in the Canon, Part 1: Composers and Their Works
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a composer of no ordinary merit." [REDH] From the very beginning of the Sherlock Holmes stories, we know that Sherlock Holmes plays the violin. It'...
Russians and Sherlock Holmes
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a man might as well live in Russia" [VALL] The connections between Sherlock Holmes an Russia—in the Sherlock Holmes stories themselves, as least—...
Ahoy! Rowing, Boating and Yachting
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"He started in his little yacht" [BLAC] There are plenty of instances of maritime transportation in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But when it comes t...
John Watson's Youth - Part 2
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"you were on the battlefield" [BLAN] In the last episode, Robert Katz, BSI began to take us through his theory of where Dr. Watson spent his early y...
John Watson's Youth - Part 1
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"I travelled in my youth" [TWIS] We know little about Dr. Watson's life, aside from what he managed to tell us. Yes, he was in the Army's medical de...
South Americans and Sherlock Holmes
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"her people have been leaders in Pernambuco for generations" [3GAB] South America and its exotic tropical climate is about as far removed from the...
Boarding Houses
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a boarding house that was recommended" [VALL] When traveling or settling into a city for a bit, Victorians had options. Hotels were commonplace, ...
Billiards
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Come into the billiard-room and have a quiet cigar." [GLOR] Rack 'em up! Our monthly discussion of games and sports turns to billiards. While the...
Why Thank You
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"he sang your praises very loudly" [STOC] As early as A Study in Scarlet, we discover that Sherlock Holmes "was as sensitive to flattery on the s...
Watson's Club
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a member of an aristocratic club" [BERY] From golf clubs to gentlemen's clubs... Ask any Sherlockian to name a club in the Canon and they'll i...
Americans and Sherlock Holmes
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"It is always a joy to meet an American." [NOBL] Americans have been avid fans of Sherlock Holmes since the earliest days. The novels were pirated a...
Fore!
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"'Fore God, Mr. Holmes, it's all right," [SHOS] Sherlock Holmes and golf don't necessarily go together. That is clearly represented by the few ...
School's Out
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future!" [COPP] We first hear of boarding-schools in "The Naval Treaty," in which Watson mentions his fel...
Where Was the Shadow?
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"the calculation now was a simple one" [MUSG] The questions in the Musgrave Ritual lead us to answers that are nearly as cryptic as the questions ...
French and Sherlock Holmes
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"an autograph letter of thanks from the French" [GOLD] France and England have always had a close relationship, if contentious at times. Is it ...
Odd Jobs
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"He could carve a bit and gild and frame, and do odd jobs." [SIXN] There were scores of jobs mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but we f...
You've Got a Deal
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"I would not have missed it for a good deal" [BERY] Eight episodes ago, we talked very specifically about a card game: whist. But we're aware t...
Poisons
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"less poisonous than one might expect" [BRUC] From the very first Sherlock Holmes story, we're introduced to poisons and their role in crime an...
Old Money
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"old coins, apparently" [MUSG] This is National Coin Week, according to the American Numismatic Association. What better week to consider old ...
Sherlock Holmes and Australians
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"distinctly Australian" [BOSC] To readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories in the late Victorian era, Australia was an exotic and dangerous place...
Tennis, Anyone?
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"two on the lawn" [CROO] Sherlock Holmes and tennis — they go together like...like... Well, we're here to tell you that while combining the great...
Fool Me Once
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"we can't have tomfoolery of this kind" [FIVE] The beginning of April dependably brings April Fools' Day. And while there weren't outright hi-j...
Who Then, Is Porlock?
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"It is Porlock's writing" [VALL] The opening of The Valley of Fear introduced us to a mysterious individual: Porlock, who sent a cryptic note to...
Irish and Sherlock Holmes
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"The dancing Irish deviltry" [VALL] The Irish make scant appearances across the earlier Sherlock Holmes stories, but once we pass The Valley of Fe...
Whist
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"the game was whist" [EMPT] We continue our monthly investigation into Games and Sports in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and in this case, we turn ...
Poetry
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"volumes of poetry" [ENGR] When we think of poetry, it's a style of writing that transports us, particularly emotionally, to another plane of exi...
Villains: Grimesby Roylott
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"There has been some villainy here" [COPP] A look at some of the villains in the Sherlock Holmes stories, beginning with the first real heavy that...
Italians and Sherlock Holmes
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Have we any Italians on the staff?" [SIXN] Italians seem to surround us in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Restaurants, music, artisans, and of course...
Boxing
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"a straight left against a slogging ruffian" [SOLI] Sherlock Holmes, boxer? We don't often consider Sherlock Holmes for his boxing abilities, yet Wa...
Governesses
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"glancing at the governess" [WIST] They pop up here and there around the Canon quite infrequently. However, you can be sure that when a governess...
Brands in the Canon
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Look at this advertisement" [STUD] For well over 100 years, Sherlock Holmes has been seen in advertisements around the world. The fact is: Sherl...
Germans and Sherlock Holmes
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Who were these German people" [ENGR] Sherlock Holmes had a number of encounters with German people. Who were they, and how did these interactions r...
An Inspector Calls
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"the smartest of the Scotland Yarders" [SIGN] If you ask anyone familiar with the Sherlock Holmes stories to name a Scotland Yard inspector, they...
Board Games
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"to play games of that sort" [REIG] This marks the first in a semi-regular series on Trifles in which we spend time talking about sports and game...
Beards in the Canon
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"the tall, black-bearded figure" [HOUN] We begin our third season with a discussion of facial hair in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Specifically, ...
Sherlock Holmes's Dining Habits
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose" [STUD] The holidays typically bring a bounty of food, followed by solemn pledges to ex...
Unpublished Cases: A Very Commonplace Little Murder
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"if it turns red, it means a man's life" [NAVA] We often fixate on the famous cases like the Giant Rat of Sumatra, James Phillimore and his umbre...
Inside 221B: On the Floor
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"he slipped down upon the floor" [PRIO] It's not often that we have our eyes cast downward at 221B Baker Street. There are so many interesting thing...
You're So Hansom
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"In the morning you will send for a hansom" [FINA] The Sherlock Holmes canon is a wonderful snapshot of the times. In particular, we get a good sens...
Telephonically, My Dear Holmes
28 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Did you tell him of our telephone appointment?" [3GAR] From the Gramophone to the telephone, November seems to be quite the month of technology her...
Unpublished Cases: The Ferrers Documents
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"I am retained in this case of the Ferrers Documents" [PRIO] The arrival of Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable on the doorstep (and hearth rug!) of 221B B...
Inside 221B: The Gramophone
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"modern gramophones are a remarkable invention" [MAZA] When you glance across the Sherlock Holmes stories, there really...
Sherlock Holmes and Children
08 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Children, my dear boy, children." [GREE] When you glance across the Sherlock Holmes stories, there really aren't that many instances of chil...
Trick or Treat
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Disguised, and under an assumed name" [STUD] Sherlock Holmes was a master of disguises. They allowed him to infiltrate areas that would have oth...
Woof
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"a small monograph upon the uses of dogs in the work of the detective" [CREE] There are a handful of dogs sprinkled throughout the Sherlock Holme...
Unpublished Cases: John Vincent Harden
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"the peculiar persecution of John Vincent Harden" [SOLI] The famous year of 1895 holds many wonders. Many of the cases in The Return of Sherlock ...
Inside 221B: Have a Seat
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Pray take a seat" [MAZA] As we glance around the sitting room at 221B Baker Street, the famous lodgings of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, there...
Telegrams
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"he could send some telegrams" [PRIO] "My correspondence certainly has the charm of variety," said Sherlock Holmes in "The Noble Bachelor." He could...
How Insulting
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"either a very bad joke or an insult" [SILV] We occasionally hear "Mr. Cocksure" and "jack-in-office" thrown about as epithets in the Sherlock Ho...
Unpublished Cases: On the Continent
20 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"come on to the Continent with me" [FINA] Watson occasionally accompanied Sherlock Holmes onto the Continent (i.e., Europe), but there were many ...
Inside 221B: Stradivarius
13 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony" [REDH] One of the most off-hand but arresting comments that Sherlock Holmes...
Doctors in the Canon
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"when a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals" [SPEC] The Sherlock Holmes stories are told from the perspective of a doctor. So it...
The Good Doctor
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"the good doctor took us to the yew alley" [HOUN] John H. Watson, M.D., late of the Army Medical Department, had a number of medical pract...
Wine & Spirits
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"any other spirit but rum" [BLAC] We're accustomed to thinking about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being associated with whiskey and brandy....
Unpublished Cases: The Sign of Four
16 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Cecil Forrester" [SIGN] We know what you're thinking: The Sign of Four wasn't an unpublished...