Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit" [STUD] There were a number of individuals who exhibited strength in the Sherlock Holmes stories, to varying degrees. But which of them would you classify as the strongest? One of our listeners had an idea as to who it might be, so we surveyed the Canon and found a handful of others to make this a deeper discussion. Turns out it's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Bonus artwork for our supporters on Patreon and Substack All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the loss of the old black boot" [HOUN] Brown boot, black boot — these two items of Sir Henry Baskerville's went missing at the Northumberland Hotel shortly after he arrived in London. And they begin to put Sherlock Holmes on the scent of The Hound of the Baskervilles. However, there's a wrinkle regarding the old black boot that persists throughout the story. George Fletcher, BSI ("The Cardboard Box") made a note of this curious detail for the very first time in The Papers on the Sundial, a 2020 publication from The Five Orange Pips. And it's quite the Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes The Best of the Pips (1955) The Best of the Pips Volume II (1999) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"not the name of a young woman, Watson" [SUSS] Here's a strange one. We hear of the Matilda Briggs in one story. Do you know which story and what it was associated with? This entry in our Travel Series takes us on a mysterious sea voyage that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write a short story and then borrow a real name from this true tale and plant it in Sherlock Holmes story. What as the connection? Well, that's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Mary Celeste (Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia) Mary Celeste (Wikipedia) Gibraltar Marks the Return of Sherlock Holmes (1915) (The Fourth Garrideb) Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 55 - Unpublished Cases: Weird Animals Episode 151 - Asians and Sherlock Holmes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Look at that!" [3STU] Sherlock Holmes had clients of all kinds. Some that visited him with vague fears. Others that were concerned about missing documents. But when he had cases and clients that included a little show-and-tell — where a physical object was displayed — well, that is just a Trifle. And listen closely, because we ask for some input from you on this one! Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 225: Evidence Boxes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"She responded beautifully" [SCAN] Occasionally — very occasionally — there are flaws in Sherlock Holmes's reasoning. Or, if not flaws, then something that doesn't quite hold up when we put our own magnifying lens against it. There is one such example in "A Scandal in Bohemia," as pointed out by a listener. One we had never considered before, but one that is just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"To a collector of fairy tales" [HOUN] Of the many things we know about Sherlock Holmes — or think we know about him — his knowledge of chemistry and his violin-playing skills are probably most closely associated with him. However, in 1952, Remsen Ten Eyck Schenck pulled the evidence together and compared it with what merely passed as opinion in a Baker Street Journal article. And what he found is more than just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Find the article discussed in this episode and others in the eBSJ Other episodes mentioned: Episode 377 - The Effect of Trades on the Body Episode 67 - Inside 221B: Chemistry All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"his attitude and manner told their own story" [SCAN] The tragedies on September 11 ensured that it is a date that will forever be stamped in the history books. What to do when it coincides with an episode drop date for Trifles on our monthly travel series? As we glanced through the Sherlock Holmes canon, we found that a number of trips and voyages were associated with tragic outcomes. Part of it was a matter of the times and the risks of traveling; others seemed to be associated with karma. Together, they're just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"his attitude and manner told their own story" [SCAN] Last month, we lost prolific Sherlockian David Stuart Davies. But prolific doesn't quite cover it. He was insightful and delightful, he amused and schmoozed, he wrote and spoke, created and debated, was always elated. In his memory, we're taking a deeper look at his article "First Encounters of the Holmes Kind" from Vol. 47, No. 1 of The Baker Street Journal — an essay on why "A Scandal in Bohemia" was the perfect first short story for Sherlock Holmes. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Leave Trifles a five-star rating. Links / Notes The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"he had actually won as much as four hundred" [EMPT] It's hard to believe, but we've managed to notch our 400th episode of Trifles. And we can't think of a better way to celebrate than by highlighting some of our favorite episodes from throughout the show. We put our usual amount of consideration and thinking into this effort, and we think it's something that will delight old listeners as well as new. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes SoundCloud playlist of all episodes mentioned All SoundCloud playlists All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"private revenge" [CHAS] In "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton," Watson tells us that a woman with a "dark, handsome, clear-cut face" lifted her veil and "emptied barrel after barrel into Milverton's body," leaving him dead on the floor. But in the Summer 2024 issue of The Baker Street Journal (Vol. 74, No. 2), Carla Coupe wonders if Watson wasn't giving us the whole story. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Links / Notes The Baker Street Journal All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"'journeys end in lovers' meetings,' as the old play says" [EMPT] When it came to London, Sherlock Holmes preferred to stay put. That's what Paul Gore-Booth would have us believe. When he assessed the many tales, he found that most happened in London and its immediate suburbs. But Gore-Booth went one further: he conjectured about the locales of various unpublished cases. If you know Trifles, you'll recall that we delved into some of the unpublished cases in Season 2. Together, it's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Paul Gore-Booth Season 2: Unpublished Cases Soundcloud playlist of Unpublished Cases All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I did it clumsily" [DANC] Sherlock Holmes was a man of great precision. We learn about his attention to detail and his preferences for improving the art of detection from the very first time we meet him. But there were instances of clumsiness — his own and from others — that crop up throughout the Canon. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I am much more anxious" [MISS] Four episodes ago, we began a discussion about anxiety in the Sherlock Holmes stories. We managed to make from A Study in Scarlet up through The Hound of the Baskervilles. What about the rest of the Canon? Worry not! We continue the journey from The Return through The Case-Book. While Sherlock Holmes shows some anxiety in this half of the Canon, we'll find that his clients and others are more anxious. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Episode 392 - Anxiety All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"she seems indeed to be on a very different level" [SCAN] There is one woman in the entire Canon of Sherlock Holmes stories that we can instantly recall as an adventuress. You know who we're talking about. Can you think of at least one other off the top of your head? We'll help with that. Plus, we'll explore just how the term "adventuress" evolved and what it meant in polite society. It's just a Trifle. Do you have a topic you'd like to recommend? Email us at [email protected] and if we use your idea on the air, we'll send you a thank-you gift. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Oh, and our supporters can watch this episode on video! Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes The Adventuress (The Encyclopedia of Victoriana) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"concealed it at Mapleton" [SILV] This month's Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist episode goes back to 1949 to Volume 4, Number 1 of The Baker Street Journal and Jay Finley Christ's article "Silver Blaze: An Identification (as of 1893 A.D.). Here Christ looks at what contemporary readers of the Strand would have thought of Watson's tale, specifically identifying which horse Silver Blaze was supposed to be. Oh, and for our Patreon and Substack supporters, we have a video version of this episode. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Jay Finley Christ's article is available through the eBSJ. All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I flatter myself that I could find my way about." [HOUN] Dartmoor and its surroundings provided the perfect setting for The Hound of the Baskervilles. Not only did the area have a sense of history (and prehistory) about it, but the sparse surroundings added to the mystique. And the wonderful part is that if we were to set foot there in 2024, we would recognize the landmarks and even some of the buildings. In 1965, Kelvin Jones took to identifying some of the real-life locations that we find in the story and it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. We also have some photos of the area from David Marcum, who recently made a pilgrimage to Dartmoor. You can find them on Patreon and Substack. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes The Sherlock Holmes Journal from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"weighed down with some great anxiety" [FIVE] Where would Sherlock Holmes be without fear and anxiety? It was a common state of mind for a number of his clients, but Holmes himself also exhibited anxious behavior from time to time. In which stories can we find anxiety? Don't be nervous; we have 10 examples. But there are still more to come that will feature in a discussion in a second part. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I sent down to Stamford's for the ordnance map" [HOUN] In a number of instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find ourselves guided by maps. Not only as critical elements of the plot, but also as visual aids to readers. In which stories do we find maps? And what about those that required floorplans to be sketched out as well? It's just a Trifle. This topic was suggested by listener Ron Groenewoud, who'll be receiving a thank you gift for his efforts. If you have a topic you'd like to suggest and we use it on the air, we'll do the same thing for you. Just drop us a line at [email protected]. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes The Sherlockian Atlas by Julian Wolff All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"he is a remarkable linguist" [GREE] Sherlock Holmes has been translated into scores of languages all around the world (just ask Don Hobbs). But what languages was he fluent in or have passing familiarity with? This is the question Dean W. Dickensheet tackles in Vol. 10 No. 3 of The Baker Street Journal in his article "Sherlock Holmes - Linguist." It's the latest in our series looking at old Sherlockian scholarship and it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes The eBSJ All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"We have three years of the past to discuss" [EMPT] Once again, we pack our Gladstone bags and prepare for an episode where we travel. This time, we head to Sussex Downs and then across the Atlantic to New York in some of the early years of Sherlock Holmes's retirement. What brings us there is from the fertile imagination of Les Klinger, who posits a connection between Sherlock Holmes, Wilson Hargreave, and Andrew Carnegie. It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Baker Street Rambles by Leslie S. Klinger Floradora (Wikipedia) All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"his age, and an affliction" [STOC] The panoply of elderly individuals in the Sherlock Holmes stories is impressive: Mr. Frankland, the old crank in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the miserly Josiah Amberley in "The Retired Colourman," Old Mr. Farquhar, the previous owner of Watson's practice. But there were many others, some of whom go almost unnoticed. What similarities do we see among them? How did Conan Doyle's writing about them change over time? It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the flooring was also thoroughly examined" [SPEC] Cocoanut matting, bearskin rug, carpets — there are a number of notable floor coverings mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories. But flooring itself is less notable. Case in point: linoleum, which appears as a passing mention in just three stories, was a popular alternative at the time. What do we know about the history of linoleum, how was it manufactured, and what role did it play in the Canon? It's just a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Previous episode mentioned: Episode 102: Inside 221B: On the Floor All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Vast sections of it have been cleared" [BLAC] When you're really down in the details about something — something trifling, perhaps — it's difficult to see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes. Well, we've discussed trees in two previous episodes, so we thought it was time to look at the forests. There were scant mentions of forests in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but they're worth a Trifle. You can make topic suggestions to us — if we choose something you recommend (like the one today!), we'll send you a Sherlockian prize. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. Links / Notes Forest Row New Forest Weald Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 274: Trees, Part 1 Episode 276: Trees, Part 2 All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"at Maiwand without losing my nerve" [STUD] Maiwand: Saving the Guns by Richard Caton Woodville, 1883 (Wikimedia Commons) It is generally accepted that A Study in Scarlet, when Dr. Watson first met Sherlock Holmes, took place in 1881. Watson was just back from the war in Afghanistan, where he had been wounded at the Battle of Maiwand. But in 1940, Edgar W. Smith took a closer look at the timing between the battle, Watson's recovery time, travel to London and hotel stay, and came to a much different conclusion. He wrote it up in a pamphlet and it's just a Trifle. You can make suggestions as well — if we choose a topic you recommend, we'll send you a Sherlockian prize. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community on Patreon or Substack today. BONUS: a digital scan of Smith's original pamphlet is available to our Patreon or Substack supporters. Links / Notes The Long Road from Maiwand: an examination of the evidence bearing upon the dating of a certain encounter in the chemical laboratory at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in London by Edgar W. Smith (Abebooks) The eBSJ All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Stop at a telegraph-office, cabby!" [SIGN] Cabbies are everywhere in London – indeed, so common in some cases that they're simply overlooked (we see you, Jefferson Hope!). Could Sherlock Holmes have passed himself off as a cabby? There are certainly points in his career when it would have made sense. And a paper given at a Sherlock Holmes society in Denmark points in that direction. Hop on board with us in this monthly travel series episode! It's just a Trifle. You can make suggestions as well — if we choose a topic you recommend, we'll send you a Sherlockian prize. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Become a Patron! Links / Notes "The Thomas Hogram Letters" by Sven Ranild is an expanded and translated version of a paper delivered in Copenhagen on September 19, 1987, at the Centenary Dinner of the Sherlock Holmes Klubben i Danmark and it appeared in the Summer 1991 issue of The Sherlock Holmes Journal. Episode 124 - Odd Jobs All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"very curious phraseology" [WIST] Here's an interesting little subject that ought to intrigue many Sherlock Holmes fans: words. We are a literate bunch, and when we get to learn more about words — especially words with which we're unfamiliar — that makes us happy. This topic was suggested by listener Jennifer Cassasanto, who was curious about some of the foreign and antiquated terms in the Canon. Fair warning, though: this is a pun-filled zone. Word nerds unite! It's just a Trifle. You can make suggestions as well — if we choose a topic you recommend, we'll send you a Sherlockian prize. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Links / Notes An Irregular Anglo-American Glossary of More or Less Unfamiliar Words, Terms and Phrases in the Sherlock Holmes Saga by S. Tupper Bigelow Episode 124 - Odd Jobs All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"kept as a secret among them" [DEVI] When Dr. Leon Sterndale said there was only one known specimen of radix pedis dioaboli – devil's foot root – in a laboratory in Buda, it was clear that it was a poison unknown to science. Just what was it that was "used as an ordeal poison by the medicine-men in certain districts of West Africa"? Dr. Robert Ennis had an idea related to a substance we know well today, based on his observations in emergency rooms. And it's anything but a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Become a Patron! Links / Notes The eBSJ All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"His collaboration may be very necessary" [ILLU] There's a curious phrase in the beginning of A Study in Scarlet that requires a little more consideration. Do you know what it is? John Ball, Jr. did. And his theory about what that phrase signified is an intelligent and plausible one, lifted from a 1954 issue of The Baker Street Journal and The Baker Street Reader. Along the way, we uncover a surprising fact about Ball. And it's anything but a Trifle. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes John Ball Jr. (Wikipedia) The Baker Street Reader (Abebooks) The eBSJ All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"we shall certainly have to go to Norwood" [SIGN] The latest in our travel series takes us to Norwood. In particular, the Norwood in The Sign of Four. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Mary Morstan take a cab to a seedier part of London, and then a four-wheeler south to Norwood. How long would it have taken them? And what else might we find in this London suburb? Michael Harrison assists with an essay from In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes, and it's just a Trifle. All of our supporters on Substack and Patreon are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers on Patreon receive thank you gifts. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes by Michael Harrison The Crystal Palace Fire All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"consult me over that Manor House case" [GREE] In addition to fascinating cases and clients, the Sherlock Holmes stories saw some wonderful house names. How did some of them get their names? We look at the history of house names, call out the story names that were also house names, and mention a few of our favorite lesser-known country houses in the Canon. It's just a Trifle. Oh, and just for our Patreon and Substack supporters, we have some additional analysis in a bonus episode. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes History of UK House Names English Country House Names Explained Experience Sherlock Holmes Filming Locations Up Close All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"one of biscuits" [GLOR] It's not often we find ourselves with a Muppets crossover, but after stumbling across a few trifling references in the Sherlock Holmes stories, we began to think about the Cookie Monster in Baker Street. Of course, there were no cookies in Baker Street. Only biscuits. Where might we find mentions of biscuits in the Canon? And what do we know about their variety and history? It's just another treat – a Trifle. Oh, and just for our Patreon supporters, we have a link to a very special Cookie Monster-themed Sherlockian item. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Playlist: Trifles episodes about food All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the weaver by his tooth or the compositor by his thumb" [COPP] On the third week of every month, we look at a piece of Sherlockian scholarship in a series we call "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist." In this episode, the article "The Effect of Trades on the Body" by Remsen Ten Eyck Schenck from Vol. 3, No. 1 of The Baker Street Journal in 1953 serves as our anchor. Schenck offers a look at one of the monographs Holmes mentioned in The Sign of Four and proceeds to compare it with medical literature to draw conclusions about Holmes's work. And it's just a Trifle. Don't miss the bonus material we have for you - available on both Patreon and Substack. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Become a Patron! Find Trifles wherever you listen to podcasts. Links / Notes Find Schenck's article in the eBSJ Episode 43 - Sherlock Holmes' Monographs All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon or Substack to hear bonus material and be eligible for drawings. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"whatever luggage you intend to take" [FINA] We're back on the rails this week, with our monthly travel-related episode. This time, we turn to an article written by H.J. Curjel for The Sherlock Holmes Journal, Vol. 12, Nos. 3 & 4, Summer 1976. Specifically, we review his survey of stories in which railway journeys long and short took place, and specifically those in which luggage was mentioned or when people traveled without luggage. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes Arthur Conan Doyle's Portable Writing Desk (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"half-humorous, half-cynical" [DEVI] Celebrate our terquasquicentennial with us as we take a full look at "half" mentions in the Canon. While there are nearly 400 instances of the word, there are a select few that tell us something about hte personality of Sherlock Holmes. Namely, that Sherlock Holmes used the term "half" strategically when he wanted to sound a certain way. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes Holmes and a Train Bluff (Simanaintis Says) All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the secret societies must have done it" [STUD] Here and there across the Sherlock Holmes stories, we find ourselves embroiled in the intrigue that involves secret societies. Many are of foreign origin, and they're almost always associated with death and violence. What are these organizations and in which stories can we find them? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes Episode 266 - Final Illumination on the Lucca Code I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Episode 30: The Sherlockian with Graham Moore All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"His body was absolutely corpulent" [GREE] Join us for another "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" episode, in which we bring a piece of Sherlockian scholarship about a trifling issue to you. This time, we look at Anna Brindisi Behrens' article "Corpulence in the Canon: Beyond Stereotypes" from the Winter 2023 issue of The Baker Street Journal (Vol. 73., No. 4). It's a look beyond the obvious, and as always, it's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Links / Notes The Baker Street Journal Henry VIII, a turkey leg, and the Mandela Effect All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"not far from Frinton." [RETI] It's travel time again! The second episode of every month in Season 8 is travel-themed, and we ride the rails again with "An Essex Adventure" by A. Godfrey Hunt from The Sherlock Holmes Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Winter 1992). Here we have the case of Holmes getting a client-cum-suspect out of the way. And in doing so, he sent Josiah Amberley with Watson on a wild goose chase to Essex. Why Essex, though? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes The Sherlock Holmes Journal All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"chalk his billiard-cue" [MISS] Back in Season 3, when we did a series on Games and Sports, we had one episode on billiards in the Sherlock Holmes stories. In this case, we were inspired by an article in the Sherlock Holmes Journal specifically mentioning Watson's billiard-playing habits. When did Watson start playing billiards? Who was Thurston? And other than at his club, where is it likely that he engaged in the game? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes "The Cuerious Incidence of Watson's Billiard Playing" by Donald Jewell, The Sherlock Holmes Journal, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Winter 1991) Other episodes mentioned Episode 132: Billiards All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"here's a hunting crop handy" [IDEN] In the last episode, we reflected on Sherlock Holmes chasing James Windibank out of Baker Street. While he did so, he referenced his handy hunting crop. Hunting crops, do (ahem) crop up in the Canon from time to time. Who used them and why? What are they used for when not being brandished as weapons? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? Links / Notes Sidney Paget's hunting crop Other episodes mentioned Episode 145: Shooting and Hunting Episode 215: Walking Sticks and Canes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"You'll be interested to hear that I am engaged." [CHAS] The name of this show was inspired in part by William Hyder, BSI ("A Most Valuable Institution"), who includes a half sheet of a trifling matter in the dinner packet of the Baker Street Irregulars each year. And as has become our tradition, each January, we use his Trifle. Our attention turns to Hosmer Angel / James Windibank from "A Case of Identity," who led on Miss Mary Sutherland with whiskers, tinted glasses, a whispery voice, and a typewriter, before abandoning her. Holmes had no patience for a man who'd treat a woman this way. Until... And that's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes by Vincent Starrett "Behind the Times" from Round the Red Lamp by Arthur Conan Doyle Other episodes mentioned (from Season 4) Episode 185: The Women of Influence Episode 190: The Working Girls Episode 194: Ladies of Title Episode 199: The Victims All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"There was no other boarder" [VALL] The third episode of every month in Season 8 finds us revisiting familiar ground: episodes under the "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist" category, as we revisit old Sherlockian scholarship. This episode brings us to an overlooked chapter of a familiar book. It's James Keddie's "The Other Boarder" from Vincent Starrett's 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes, in which he brings in a surprising discovery from "Behind the Times." And it's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our Patreon supporters are eligible for our monthly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes by Vincent Starrett "Behind the Times" from Round the Red Lamp by Arthur Conan Doyle Other episodes mentioned: Episode 139: Music in the Canon, Part 1 Episode 140: Music in the Canon, Part 2 Episode 164: Was Sherlock Holmes an American? Episode 359: Dr. Watson's Secret All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"We traveled by the Underground" [REDH] We're kicking off a new monthly series for Season 8: travel. Highly appropriate, as we travel to New York for the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend. In this case, our travel is local within London. That is, the Underground. For as much as we associate Sherlock Holmes and London, his travel on the Underground was a bit limited. The late John Baesch, BSI helps us explore it. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our Patreon supporters are eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes The Original Empty House: Mind the Gap (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"I have myself found it a very soothing atmosphere" [GREE] It's easy to think of Sherlock Holmes as an automaton — Watson himself called Holmes that exact word, remarking "There is something positively inhuman in you at times." And yet, if we consider the detective's demeanor with clients and the types of activities he found solace in, we find a softer side of Holmes. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. All of our Patreon supporters are eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals and certain tiers receive thank you gifts. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes Tactical Communication (I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere) All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Join our community on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor We are open to sponsorship. Please get in touch with us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"Oh, my God! what a blind fool I have been!" [BERY] Well, this is it. The final entry of Season 7 and of 2023. And it marks our 365th episode. We reach the final episode in a quartet of episodes that took us as many months to complete, honoring Alfred Hitchcock as an inspiration. And we look back at the origins of the show, what some of the running themes have been, and where we'll take it in Season 8. It's just a Trifle. Thank you to our loyal listeners, who are enthusiastic and encouraging. There's lots ahead, particularly for our Patreon community. Stay tuned! If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes Playlists on SoundCloud Episode 352 – Lions Episode 356 – Tigers Episode 361 – Bears All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The eBSJ Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"a charming coquettish intimacy" [3GAB] The final installment in this season's Masters Class is another Christopher Morley essay, "Watson à la Mode," from Vol. 1 No. 1 of The Baker Street Journal (1946). We discuss Morley's keen analysis of Watson's eye for fashion and an extraordinary conclusion about his marriages. It's just a Trifle. Oh, and we've issued a challenge to Trifles Patreon supporters, due before the next issue drops. A prize awaits! If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"the compliments of the season" [BLUE] Here it is, 12 days before Christmas — the perfect time to celebrate with you. So we're doing it in style. Listener Jim Zych was kind enough to share his trifling monograph "The 12 Sherlockian Days of Christmas," so we thought we might adapt it for you. So take a numerical journey through the Canon with us. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock The 12 Days of Christmas (Wikipedia) Some of our favorite variations: The 12 Gifts of Christmas (Allan Sherman) The 12 Days of Christmas (Bob & Doug McKenzie) The 12 Pains of Christmas (Bob Rivers) Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"washed their hands of the matter" [GREE] We like to think that the practice of hand washing is a universal occurrence. After a couple of years of a pandemic, it was certainly ingrained into the public's awareness (we hope). But when it comes to life in the Sherlock Holmes stories, where do we find instances of manual hygiene? And when were some individuals positively slovenly? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Maimonidies and the need for hand washing (National Library of Medicine) Joseph Lister's contributions to hygiene (Science Museum) Ignaz Semmelweis (Wikipedia) Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"bear in mind" [MUSG] Image credit: Russell Stutler Can you think of the instances when bears are mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories? We'll give you a minute. No? There are four specific mentions, but blink and you'll miss them. We cover them in this episode, along with exploring just why there are no bears in the United Kingdom. It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. And we have bonus material following this episode, just for our Patrons. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock This Here Is Your Life, Sherlock Holmes: Parody from the Voice of Yogi Bear Beargarden (Wikipedia) Henry III's Polar Bear (National Trust) Why a Bearskin Rug? (John H. Watson Society) Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"By Jove, Watson; I've got it!" [CHAS] Last month, we contemplated the significance of the exclamation "By George!" So this month, we give ourselves over the gods as we explore "By Jove!" What's the significance of a Jovian exclamation, what's the connection to being jovial, and who is described as such in the Sherlock Holmes stories? It's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock By Jove! Thor and Jupiter in the Sherlock Holmes Stories Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The Baker Street Journal Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

"This terrible secret" [FIVE] Dr. Watson was a master of inconsistencies. Or perhaps sloppiness. Or, according to Christopher Morley, intentional obfuscation. With a little chronological detective work, he may have figured it out. Just what was Watson's secret, and why was he keeping it? He did it so well that not only did he keep it from his readers, but from Sherlock Holmes himself. It's the lastest Masters Class and it's just a Trifle. If you have a suggestion for a Trifles episode, let us know at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your idea on the air, we'll send you some Sherlockian goodies. Our Patreon supporters can listen to our shows ad-free and every one of them is eligible for our monthly and quarterly drawings for Baker Street Journals. And we have bonus material following this episode, just for our Patrons. Join our community today. Have you left us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts yet? You don't need to own an Apple device, and every review helps more people find the show. Links / Notes All of our social links: linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com Listen to us ad-free on Patreon and become eligible for our regular giveaways. Sponsor The BSI Press Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0