Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

We find a smattering of food references throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. But which can be considered consummate British dishes?

We don't come across toad in the hole, bubble and squeak, or cock-a-leekie soup, but there are other meals that are considered British. And by more than the virtue of appearing in British stories. Which food might this be? It's more than a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles158
• Episode 42: A Noble Supper
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 103: Al and Julie Rosenblatt
• Superb English Plum Pudding (Epicurious)
• William Banting (Wikipedia)
• Food Timeline: Sandwiches
• Dining With Sherlock Holmes by Julia Carlson Rosenblatt
• The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook by John Farrell and Sean Wright

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Weather conditions not only play a part in the settings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but in some cases, they determine the plots as well.

Fog, London and Baker Street seem to go hand in hand in 1890s London, but London's fogs are more than weather conditions. How did fog color Sherlock Holmes's view of the criminal world, and which stories saw an impact from this misty and mysterious phenomenon? It's just a trifle.

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• Great Smog of London (Wikipedia)
• Pea-souper (Wikipedia)

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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In a lifetime crammed with high adventure, his brilliant achievements in crime detection obscured his remarkable skills as an athlete. He was an expert with singlestick and foil, a fine boxer, equally accomplished with rifle and small arms and had a knowing eye for horseflesh.

In this final installment in our 2019 series on games and sports, we turn to William S. Baring-Gould, the subject of this year's Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, and talk through his landmark article for Sports Illustrated article from 1963. It's just a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles156
• "Sherlock Holmes, Sportsman" by William S. Baring-Gould from May 25, 1963, pp. 34-46 (Sports Illustrated)
• William S. Baring-Gould (Wikipedia)
• The Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. This store closes at the end of 2019.

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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The last in our series of episodes on international interactions with Sherlock Holmes brings us to the now-defunct kingdom of Bohemia. It was so important that it got its own scandal. What do we know about this land from which the masked king came? And of the adjective "Bohemian"? How did Bohemians come to signify the unconventional? It's just a trifle.

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• Bohemia (Wikipedia)
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

• The BSI Press

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Sherlock Holmes was occasionally without his Boswell. Watson was married at least twice – some scholars even claim there was a third Mrs. Watson.

Was Holmes truly affected by Watson's absence? There is a subtle time lapse that may give away how Holmes dealt with a matrimonial Watson. And a look at how Holmes dealt with solitude earlier in his life. It's just a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles154
• Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective by William S. Baring-Gould
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! Get your holiday orders in now. This store closes at the end of 2019.

• The Baker Street Journal

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Sherlock Holmes was a loner. An independent consultant. An automaton. But he also shared rooms with Dr. Watson off and on for over 20 years.

When Watson went off and got married, how did this affect Holmes, really? And Watson had how many wives? It's just a trifle.

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• Baker Street Elementary – One Is the Loneliest Number
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Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with a certain type of hat. We don't need to mention the kind. You know what it is.

But he never wore one in the stories, which you probably also know. But what about some of the other hats that were mentioned by name in the Canon? It's kind of a hat check name check in this episode. And it's just a trifle.

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• Bowler hat
• Wideawake hat
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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"Asian" isn't a term that pops up in the Sherlock Holmes canon. And yet we meet a handful of individuals who lived in or interacted with residents of the largest continent on the planet.

We hear of Asian countries such as Japan, China, Afghanistan, Andaman Islands, Ceylon, the Dutch East Indies, India, Tibet, Nepal, Persia, Siam, Malay, Singapore, Turkey, and Syria. Who were some of these people and why do so many of their stories involve something nefarious? It's just a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles151
• Before the East India Company (Lapham's Quarterly)
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• The BSI Press

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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How many swimmers do we encounter in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Given that only one story is centered around an ill-fated swim, you might think you know the answer.

Then again, you might be mistaken. Allow us to turn over the Canon in our minds for other references to swimming. And what do we know about swimming habits in the late Victorian / early Edwardian era? It's just a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles150
• Bathing machine (Wikipedia)
• Swimming in the Victorian Era (PDF)
• A Social History of Swimming in England, 1800-1918 (Reviews in History)
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts. HURRY! This store closes at the end of 2019.

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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Think about the number of times we come across inclement weather in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's almost like the cliched "It was a dark and stormy night."

How often do we find that harsh weather conditions run parallel to some tempestuous conditions in various Canonical households? It's just a trifle.

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• This episode: ihose.co/trifles149
• Get your own "Signs of Four" merchandise from our store. Over 20 designs to choose from on mugs and a variety of colored t-shirts.

• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band

Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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