J im Farino says, “I would love to contribute to the Norbury Chronicle, but I'd like to re-initiate myself with a full rereading of the Canon first. In the meantime, I will also be checking out the journal. If you have some ideas for what you'd like members to contribute, please let me know!”

T o which yours truly asked, “Has anyone any comments on the three-volume New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Leslie S. Klinger.” New member Melissa Cheponis got me to read previews on-line of volumes 1-2 and 3 and couldn’t resist buying them. It has, after all been nearly fifty years since Baring-Gould’s old Annotated Sherlock Holmes.

S tarting with the first Adventure, SCAN, we see it was aka “Woman’s Wit” and “The King’s Sweetheart” when published in American newspapers. We concur with Dean Dickensheet that the “elderly woman” is likely Irene in another disguise and are intrigued by the connection between Irene and Clothilde, daughter of Oscar II, and the George, duke of Saxe-Meiningen. We have previously noted that she is also likely “Mrs. Turner” in EMPT. We are however not persuaded by Jerry Neal

Williamson’s suggestion in “A Scandal in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’” or Manly Wade Wellman’s “A New Scandal in Bohemia” that she was murdered before 1891.

W e disagree with Baring-Gould that SCAN took started on Friday March 20, 1887 [misprint in final year digit], and place it by the principle of subsidiarity on Friday March 24, 1888 [misprint in final day digit]. We also disagree with his identification of Holmes’s gazetteer as “probably Gazetteer of the World”. Considering the spelling of Egria, rather than Eger, Eglow or Eglonitz, we think it more probably the Italian Dizionario Geografico del Mondo.

F rom Alison Carter we learned that A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin is being made into the film, “Mr. Holmes”, staring Ian McKellen as a 93-year-old Holmes. “God I love this book.” she writes, “I so can't wait for this film.” It is to be released at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

A lso from Alison we have links to the rediscovered, must-see Gillette Holmes film, an adaptation of based on several stories, "Sherlock Holmes". It will have its premiere in January at the Toute la Mémoire du Monde festival at the Cinémathèque Française, followed by the US premiere next May at the San Francisco silent film festival!

1. In which book (written by Doyle or anyone else) did the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" first appear?

2. In 1912, a novel by Doyle appeared in the Strand Magazine as a serial publication, with illustrations by Harry Rountree. Which famous fictional character did this book introduce to the world?

3. To Sherlock Holmes, she was always 'the woman'. In which book does she appear, and under what circumstances?

4. I suppose every one has a favorite child... which was Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite Holmes story?

5. There are only two short stories in which Holmes' client dies after seeking his help. Name them.

6. Although he featured in several plays and a few films, he was best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes. Known for his obsession with the character of Holmes, he reportedly even maintained a 'Baker Street file' and was one of only four people to have ever played both Holmes and Watson. His efforts paid off, and he has been voted the best Holmes ever. Name the actor.

7. Not all Holmes stories were narrated by Watson, Holmes himself narrated two of the stories. Which ones?

8. Whom was Sherlock Holmes referring to, when he spoke these words?
"The conclusions of every department are passed to him, and he is the central exchange, the clearinghouse, which makes out the balance. All other men are specialists, but his specialism is omniscience."

9. Holmes' archenemy, Professor Moriarty, is said to have been a brilliant man and a scholar. Which fictional book did he author?

[Answers in next ish.]

On“Ejaculations”

A lison Carter reminded us of “the ejaculation statistics” from the BBC “Jeopardy” series. ("Dr. Watson Ejaculated Twice as Often as Sherlock Holmes"). The Norwood Builder lists “the Five Best Uses of ‘Ejaculate’ in Sherlock Holmes” in "A Study in White". The Oxford English Dictionary cites P. Holland’s translation of Plutarch’s Morals (1603) with the use of the sexually suggestive use of “ejaculation” and T. Gokin Hallowed be Thy Name (1624) with the other more innocent usage, so it had already been a double entente for centuries before the Victorian era.

Artist Alison

A lison Carter’s artwork also certainly deserves more recognition among Holmesians. “Thanks to the therapeutic effects of fangirling over this man,” she says, “I have effectively launched myself back into the illustration game with a whole new joie de vivre... “ and “It took 4½ days total working on this to get it where I really liked it.”

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152342351611326&set=pcb.10152342372481326&type=1&theater

More Pun-chlines

"Irene Bombs!" by Stephen Kendrick: "My tome has come."

"Is There a Doctor in the House?" by Robert C. Burr: "The house does not make doctor calls."

"John 8:7" by Robert Brodie and Dave Galerstein: "Let him who has never seined cast the first clone."

"Just Another Fish Story" by Robert C. Burr: "The two parties simply want to mullet over."

"Just Follow Your Nose" by Chuck Neblock: "A stench in time saves wine."

"Just Trying to Get Ahead" by Robert C. Burr: "Don't hatchet your counts before they chicken."

"Keen-eyed Watson" by Benton Wood: "[You've] picked out the good guise from the bad."

"Knowledge of Athletics -- Nil" by Robert C. Burr: "[It a question of] whether the game is afoot or on horseback."

"Lestrade's Garden Thief" by Alan C. Olding: "I took him into custardy."

"Let the Chips Fall Where They May" by William Ballew: "Waiter, there's a fry in my sloop!"

"Lexical Lucubration" by Frank Darlington: "Our clients speak of a bum wrap."

"Make Mine with Everything" by Robert C. Burr: "Napoleon mustered his Franks."

"Make Mine with Everything" by Rosemary Michaud: "[It's] extending over three condiments and many Nathan's."

"Matthew 22:14" by Chuck Neblock: "Though many are galled, few are frozen."

"Mayhem at Allerdyce's" by Robert C. Burr: "[This is] a real ass in the pane."

"Monkey Business" by Alan C. Olding: "[It's either his keeper] or his keeper's brother."

"More High Jinks in Cornwall" by Phillip K. Jones: [The headline read:] 'Small Mediums at Large!'"

"More of Watson's Practice" by Robert C. Burr: "[That's] when the fit hit the Shan."

"Moriarty and Mathematics" by Lauren Renee Hotchkiss: "It was a four-gone conclusion."

"Moriarty Foiled" by Rosemary Michaud: "I cannot take Brinks without Clay."

"Moriarty's Diabolical Device" by Thomas J. Powell: "He had hoped to scareosol to death."

"Moriarty's Redemption" by Tom Simpson: "You did at least save his sole."

"Murder the Ump" by Suellen Kirkwood: "The son never sits on the brutish umpire."

"Music Hath Charms (Sometimes)" by Rosemary Michaud: "If it ain't baroque, don't Figg's it."

"Mycroft's Lodgings" by Phillip K. Jones: "[You'll find] Scarlett in a study"

"Naturally" by David J. Milner: "He'll be swamped with work."

"Nautical Story" by John Sielke: "Rhymes fly when you're having rum."

"No Use Crying over Spilled Wine" by Robert C. Burr: "He just lets out a Petrie whine."

"One at a Time, Please!" by Robert C. Burr: "[You] can't have your Kate and Edith too."

"One Bad Pun Deserves Another" by Robert C. Burr: "[You're] going from bed to verse."

"One Smart Dog" by Robert C. Burr: "[He's] pouring over The Evening Standard"

“Father Ted Is Dead”

Finding the fiendish murderer of Fr. Theodore, so well-known among the Cockney street people, depended upon his cryptic last words according to the testimony of his housekeeper. Lestrade had gotten nowhere in his question of him, and was even more baffled than he usually was. He was forced to visit Baker Street yet again.

“We’ve picked up several possible suspects from the Greeks, Blacks and Boscombes in Norwood based on the words ‘Norwood, Black, Greek, Scott Boscombe’. All had unbreakable alibis and have taken their many protestations to the commissioner and we found no Boscombe named Scott. Can you make anything out of it, Holmes?”

“Those do sound familiar, do they not, Watson?”

“Yes they do! They are the partial titles of some of my stories.”

“Indeed they do. Fr. Theodore was obviously a fan and was talking rhyming slang based on those titles.”

“That would give us ‘Builder, Peter, interpreter, Gloria, valley’, equally baffling to me!”

“Not so baffling if you take it as ‘’Er,’er,’er, Gloria Vallee.’”

“Aha, Gloria Vallee! Yes, that ’twas the name of the housekeeper!”

“Fr. Ted cleverly revealed his murderer via his murderer without revealing it to his murderer.”

[“Father Ted is dead.” is not a diagnosis of Dr. Watson. It is a translation of Chitty Chitty into English. ‘Father Ted’ or the abbreviated ‘father’ means ‘dead’ in rhyming slang. Chitty Chitty in turn is a contraction of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Cockney rhyming slang name for itself. This is a reference to Ian Fleming’s last novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: the Magical Car. published in 1964. The rhyming slang is said to have originated about 1840, but there seems to be no end to it. It is rather unfamiliar to us Americans (Yanks, Septic [tanks]). It’s used however in Kim Newman’s The Man from the Diogenes Club and Secret Files of the Diogenes Club. Since many past or British allusions are overly obscure, it would be easy for us Baker Street Irregulars to create encodings from the more familiar Canon, for example. Just from the titles we get many rhymes. Other pairings like “Holmes and Watson” give an alternative for “-un”.

*-ah: scandal [Sandal in Bohemia], -aks: lady [Lady Frances Carfax], -al: Musgrave [Musgrave Ritual], ablz: three [Three Gables], -ace: yellow [Yellow Face], Shoscombe [Shoscombe Old Place], -an: creeping [Creeping Man], crooked [Crooked Man], retired [Retired Colourman] , -ange: abbey [Abbey Grange], -ane: lion(’s) [Lion’s Mane], second [Second Stain], -anz: Bruce [Bruce-Partington Plans] , -ayz: silver [Silver Blaze], -ee: naval [Naval Treaty], Boscombe [Boscombe Valley], case [Case of Identity], -ear: valley [Valley of Fear], -eeg: red-headed [Red-headed League], -ebs: three [Three Garridebs], -em: final [Final Problem], -en: dancing [Dancing Men], -ent: illustrious [Illustrious Client], resident [Resident Patient], -ents: three [Three Students], -er: Norwood [Norwood Builder], blanched [Blanched Soldier], black [Black Peter], Greek [Greek Interpreter], veiled [Veiled Lodger], missing [Missing Three-quarter], -erk: stockbroker(’s) [Stockbroker’s Clerk], -et: beryl [Beryl Coronet], study [Study in Scarlet], -ez: golden [Golden Pince-nez], copper [Copper Breeches], -ij: Thor [Thor Bridge], -ils: hound [Hound of the Baskervilles], -ip: twisted [Man wth the Twisted Lip], -ips: five [Five Orange Pips], -ire: Sussex [Sussex Vampire], -ires: Reigate [Reigate Squires], -ive: dying [Dying Detective], -ist: solitary [Solitary Cyclist], -oh: last [Last Bow], -oj: Wisteria [Wisteria Lodge], -oks: cardboard [Cardboard Box], -ons: six [Six Napoleons]-ool: priory [Priory School], -or: noble [Noble Bachelor], sign [Sign of the Four], -ot: Gloria [Gloria Scott] , -oot: devil(’s) [Devil’s Foot], -ouse: empty [Empty House], -own: Mazarin [Mazarin Stone], -ul: red [Red Circle], blue [Blue Carbuncle], -um(s): engineer(’s) [Engineer’s Thumb], -un: Charles [Charles Augustus Milverton]

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