Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"Who were these German people" [ENGR]  Sherlock Holmes had a number of encounters with German people. Who were they, and how did these interactions reflect on international relations at the time?  This is the first in a new series on Trifles focusing on international elements of the Sherlock Holmes stories.   Have you left us a rating and review on  iTunes  yet? You don't need to own an Apple devi...

"the smartest of the Scotland Yarders" [SIGN]    If you ask anyone familiar with the Sherlock Holmes stories to name a Scotland Yard inspector, they'll invariably answer, "Inspector Lestrade."   But Sherlock Holmes had a healthy respect for a handful of other police inspectors, both from Scotland Yard and from the surrounding areas. Who were they, and in which stories did they appear?       Have y...

"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 games in the Sherlock Holmes stories.   In this episode, we look specifically at board games that were mentioned in the Canon and discuss their history and origins.    Have you left us a rating and review on  iTunes  yet? You don't need to own an Apple dev...

"the tall, black-bearded figure" [HOUN]    We begin our third season with a discussion of facial hair in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Specifically, beards. That's right, hipsters: you've got company. Very, very old company.   Interestingly, we found that many of the more famous bearded characters in the stories shared a similar character trait. Just what was it? It's just a trifle, but you'll have...

"he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose" [STUD]    The holidays typically bring a bounty of food, followed by solemn pledges to exercise and take better care of ourselves in the new year.   What do we know about Sherlock Holmes and his eating habits? He was thin, but did that mean he didn't have an appreciation for food? From fast food to fine dining, Sherlock Holmes displayed a...

"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 umbrella, or Wilson, the notorious canary trainer. But there are times when some trifling detail escapes our notice.   In this, the final episode of our Unpublished Cases series, we look at the tiniest bit of detail around a chemistry experiment that had to...

"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 things to see at eye-level: the Persian slipper, the chemistry set, the patriotic 'VR' on the wall. But there were floor coverings in the famous flat.    In this, the final episode of our Inside 221B series, we look at what was on the floor and the care th...

"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 sense of the kinds of transportation that conveyed citizens around London and its environs.   The hansom cab is probably the most well-known, but there are a number of other types of horse-drawn vehicles that we find in the stories. What are they? Well, i...

"Did you tell him of our telephone appointment?" [3GAR]  From the Gramophone to the telephone, November seems to be quite the month of technology here on Trifles.   Yes, even though Holmes did most of his work in the late 19th century, there were opportunities to use the newfangled voice-to-voice communications device known as the telephone. We explore just when and where, as well as certain suppo...

"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 Baker Street was dramatic. He collapsed like a beached whale, and Sherlock Holmes was able to infer a great deal about the reason for his visit.   And yet, Holmes gave an excuse for potentially turning down the case: he was involved with the Ferrers Doc...

"modern gramophones are a remarkable invention" [MAZA]                    When you glance across the Sherlock Holmes stories, there really aren't that many instances of children. Some of the tales are just not suitable for little ears, after all.   But there were key instances in which children played a vital role in the plot or moving the action forward. We explore some of those, as well as the w...

"Children, my dear boy, children." [GREE]      When you glance across the Sherlock Holmes stories, there really aren't that many instances of children. Some of the tales are just not suitable for little ears, after all.    But there were key instances in which children played a vital role in the plot or moving the action forward. We explore some of those, as well as the warning signs that you migh...

"Disguised, and under an assumed name" [STUD]    Sherlock Holmes was a master of disguises. They allowed him to infiltrate areas that would have otherwise been off-limits or situations in which he would have been discovered.   What were some of the incarnations he undertook? Can you remember the four named aliases he assumed? It is just a Trifle...   Have you left us a rating and review on  iTunes...

"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 Holmes stories. And while a few of them are used in a traditional police-tracking way, the great detective found other uses for them.    Whether friendly, hostile, or just plain silent, dogs were vital to helping Sherlock Holmes solve some of his cases. It'...

"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 Holmes took place in this year, and as you would imagine, many of the untold tales are mentioned during that timeframe.   And it would seem that if one has three names — John Hector McFarlane, John Scott Eccles, or in this case John Vincent Harden — th...

"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's no lack of seating. In fact, one might have the pick of any number of seating styles.    From armchair to basket chair, settees to sofas, we explore the seating arrangements found in Sherlock Holmes's flat. We discuss who sat where and when, and how...

"he could send some telegrams" [PRIO]  "My correspondence certainly has the charm of variety," said Sherlock Holmes in "The Noble Bachelor." He could have been easily referring to the medium as well as the message. For Holmes was an inveterate sender and receiver of telegrams. What was the messaging industry like in those days? And why did Holmes have Watson read his correspondence to him from tim...

"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 Holmes stories. But by and large, there is very little profanity in these Victorian and early Edwardian detective tales.   But Sherlock Holmes manages to insult and put down some of his rivals, in a decidedly cool and casual way. Explore the sometimes ha...

"come on to the Continent with me" [FINA]    Watson occasionally accompanied Sherlock Holmes onto the Continent (i.e., Europe), but there were many other instances when Holmes's work took him there without Watson. And we, along with Watson, were later treated to tantalizing hints as to what happened.   What were some of these places and what were the untold and exotic tales that Sherlock Holmes wa...

"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 made was that he owned a Stradivarius violin. That he had purchased for a mere 55 shillings! What do we know of Stradivarius instruments, and about Holmes's own ability on the violin?  Have yo u left us a  rating  and  review  on the podcast player of...

"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 only stands to reason that he would notice other medical men throughout his adventures with the great detective.   As we look at doctors across the Canon, we find heroes, villains, suspects, victims, clients and more. This episode takes a closer look a...

"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 practices throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. He waffled between being a flat-sharing colleague of Holmes and a doctor with his own thriving practice.   From Paddington to Queen Anne Street, we follow Watson's rise. But what of his methods? Did he dispense...

"any other spirit but rum" [BLAC]      We're accustomed to thinking about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson being associated with whiskey and brandy. But there are plenty of other kinds of alcohol in the Canon.   More than the infamous Imperial Tokay of "His Last Bow," or the ancient and cobwebby bottles, there are some curious references to wine and spirits that warrant your attention. Even if they'...

"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 case. You, as a Trifles listener, are very astute. We should have expected nothing less.   However, within  The Sign of Four , we do have a glimpse of a number of unpublished cases: including one with Mrs. Cecil Forrester, with whom Mary Morstan lives...

"neat morocco case" [SIGN]  We all know that Sherlock Holmes used drugs. "A seven-per-cent solution" of cocaine is what he recommended to Watson in The Sign of Four. But in the prelude to that, we're told that Holmes took "his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case." This case must have graced the interior of 221B Baker Street. But just what is it? And what do we really know of Holmes's dru...