“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 clay to a tear in the leather of a desk, and more. And yet, he's fixated on this one clue that...

“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 enough, we can also find happiness and sheer joy in the Canon. The Sherlock Holmes stories...

“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 than a handful are lonely or isolated in some way. This is either features in their...

"The two friends chatted in intimate converse" [LAST]  We've hosted the  since 2007 and the companion podcast  since 2016. They're both available on most podcast streaming services. This is an audio affair, recorded in...

“Watson, the fair sex is your department” [SECO]   There was a scandal in Sherlockian circles in the early 1940s. Author Rex Stout, BSI ("The Boscombe Valley Mystery"), creator of Nero Wolfe, after careful research, determined that...

“I made every disposition of my property before leaving England” [EMPT]   After Holmes "died" at the Reichenbach Falls, wouldn't people have looked for a funeral or memorial service? Watson, in particular, would have expected to assist...

“he contracted some loathsome disease” [YELL]   Dr. Watson was a general practitioner, and one "with very limited experience and mediocre qualifications," as Holmes blurted out in "The Dying Detective." It's the reason he called for a...

“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 Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was the second story in the collection, after Sherlock Holmes...

“I saw the American stamp” [DANC]  For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Holmes may very well have been American. A number of scholars have taken up the argument,...

“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 of brace of grouse, Henry Baker's Christmas goose, or a joint of beef. There was one lone...