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Elementary my dear WatsonMeaningThe supposed explanation that Sherlock Holmes gave to his assistant, Dr. Watson, when explaining deductions he had made. Origin
He does come rather close at a few of points. Holmes says "Elementary" in 'The Crooked Man', and "It was very superficial, my dear Watson, I assure you" in 'The Cardboard Box'. He also says "Exactly, my dear Watson, in three different stories. The phrase was first used by P. G. Wodehouse, in Psmith Journalist, 1915. Phrasefinder is also on
Tudor Phrases and Sayings - a book on the meanings and origins of the phrases and sayings that Shakespeare and Henry VIII used that we use still use every day. |
In fact the line doesn't appear in the Conan Doyle books, only later in Sherlock Holmes' films. 
Copyright © Gary Martin, 1996 - 2012