Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Sherlock Holmes and golf don't necessarily go together. That is clearly represented by the few times that the sport is mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

His creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had a few connections to golf. Together, we explore these scant details and come up with enough for another episode of Trifles in our monthly look at games and sports.

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• Victorian Schooling
• Board Schools
• Standards of Education from 1872
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We first hear of boarding-schools in "The Naval Treaty," in which Watson mentions his fellow alumnus Percy Phelps, who needs Sherlock Holmes's help. And of course, the Priory School (from the adventure of the same name) is private boarding school of some note.

When did boarding-schools come to be? What changed in the legislation of England at the time that made education more of a thing? We explore the societal forces that came to bear on schools at the time.

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• Victorian Schooling
• Board Schools
• Standards of Education from 1872
• Get your own Trifles merchandise.

• 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

The questions in the Musgrave Ritual lead us to answers that are nearly as cryptic as the questions themselves. Among the questions was "Where was the shadow?" The answer, of course, is "Under the elm."

But how was Sherlock Holmes able to calculate the location of the object of the Musgrave Ritual, given the lack of an elm and the passing of over 200 years? It's one of the trifles in the Canon.

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• The Baker Street Journal

Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra

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France and England have always had a close relationship, if contentious at times. Is it any small wonder that we find plenty of French influences in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

From quoting French philosophers to referencing French detectives and from earning French accolades and casually revealing French relatives, Sherlock Holmes was well versed with all things French. We investigate a few trifling examples.

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• Ken Ludwig on IHOSE
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There were scores of jobs mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but we focus on some of the more trifling titles in this episode.

You've heard of doctors and lawyers and even consulting detectives as professions. But what about gamekeepers? Or yeggmen? Mendicants (amateur or otherwise), tide-waiters and an abbess await your inquiry as well.

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• Episode 36 - Tradesmen in the Canon
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Eight episodes ago, we talked very specifically about a card game: whist. But we're aware that there's more to cards than whist, and there are additional references in the Sherlock Holmes Canon.

A brief review of a number of Sherlock Holmes stories will show "card playing" as well as one or two specifically named card games. Oh, and what about a card game specifically related to Sherlock Holmes? It's all here in Trifles.

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• Episode 115 - Whist
• Écarté
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From the very first Sherlock Holmes story, we're introduced to poisons and their role in crime and detective fiction. From there, it's a hopscotch of poisonings and poisons in the Canon.

From alkaloids to airborne toxins, we come across a variety of substances that cause harm, both intentionally and accidentally. What are they? Tune in and you may pick up a Trifle or two...

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This is National Coin Week, according to the American Numismatic Association. What better week to consider old money in the Sherlock Holmes stories?

The terminology and math can be confusing to us today. Quid? Sovereign? Shilling? How do these relate to each other and how much buying power did they have? Greg Ruby, BSI of The Fourth Garrideb put a bug in our ear and that became a Trifle...

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• So, How Much is a Quid, a Bob, and a Crown, Really?
• Old English Money
• British Currency System, Old British Money, and Slang

• The Baker Street Journal

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To readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories in the late Victorian era, Australia was an exotic and dangerous place. It was not all that far removed from the days of transportation, when some criminals and the destitute were put on ships bound for the land Down Under.

Australia makes a number of appearances in the Canon. What do these have in common and what inferences can we make? These are but a Trifle...

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• Hyde Park Barracks (Sydney)
• Convict Sydney Exhibit
• I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 97: The Sydney Passengers
• Trifles Episode 27 - Rebellion!

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Sherlock Holmes and tennis — they go together like...like... Well, we're here to tell you that while combining the great detective with a lawn sport is actually elementary.

There are a handful of passing references to this sport in the Canon, and pointing them out is merely a Trifle...

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• History of Tennis
• History of Tennis Shoes
• Nicholas Meyer on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

• The Baker Street Journal

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Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0