Sherlock Holmes: Trifles
You know the plots, but what about the minutiae? We delve into the Sherlock Holmes stories and answers questions that arise, clarify muddy details, and look into some of the period terminology in this weekly podcast.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 23 minutes
- Episodes
- 453
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Grief
“a look of grief and despair” [BERY] Let's face it: when clients arrived to consult Sherlock Holmes, they were rarely in positive spirits. Some were confused, others were concerned, and some were ju…
00:25:16 |
Wed 23 Mar 2022
In Memoriam: Muzzafar ad-Din
"I want that yellow diamond!” [MAZA]
The Masters Class series continues, and this time, Peter Blau instructs us on some finer points of geology and of geopolitical history.
"The Adventure of the Maz…
00:22:46 |
Wed 16 Mar 2022
On the Scent with Sherlock Holmes, Part 3
“the air of London is the sweeter for my presence” [FINA]
We're back with the third and final installment in our series On the Scent with Sherlock Holmes, as we investigate the olfactory elements of …
00:21:22 |
Wed 09 Mar 2022
Missing Three-Quarter One-Third Discovered
“this extraordinary league” [REDH] For fans of sportsball, the concept of fantasy leagues might seem like a modern invention. A late-20th century pastime of creating the ideal lineup of teammates …
00:19:20 |
Wed 02 Mar 2022
A Seven-Per-Cent Solution
"Would you care to try it?" [SCAN] It's the sixth season of Trifles and we realized we hadn't covered a central yet sensitive topic related to Sherlock Holmes: cocaine. Thanks to a helpful article …
00:20:59 |
Wed 23 Feb 2022
The Politician, the Lighthouse, and the Trained Cormorant
“the source of these outrages is known” [VEIL] The Masters Class series continues, and this time, we delve into the active mind of Nicholas Utechin, who presents a well-reasoned and well-researche…
00:27:10 |
Wed 16 Feb 2022
On the Scent with Sherlock Holmes, Part 2
“dropping from branch to branch” [CREE] The London in which Sherlock Holmes lived gave off its own scents. Whether the roads were paved or covered in mud, they would have played into Holmes's ide…
00:24:18 |
Wed 09 Feb 2022
A Final Illumination on the Lucca Code
“One A, two B, and so on. You will hear soon.” [REDC] The secret code that Genarro and Emilia Lucca shared for passing messages to each other in "The Red Circle" was straightforward. Or was it? …
00:26:17 |
Wed 02 Feb 2022
Roll Out the Beryl
“Halloa, Beryl!” [HOUN] In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Henry falls for Stapleton's sister, who was said to be “a young lady of attractions.” However, Stapleton clearly didn't like the idea o…
00:27:18 |
Wed 26 Jan 2022
The Archetypical Sherlock Holmes
“men of such a different type” [SOLI] We're beginning a new monthly series focused on some of the best scholarship over the years. The kind of articles that highlight the creativity and ingenuity …
00:25:56 |
Wed 19 Jan 2022
On the Scent with Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
"I am one of the hounds" [STUD] On two occasions in the Sherlock Holmes stories do we find Holmes employing a dog to help him track a scent. But beyond those two, Holmes himself displays canine-lik…
00:21:26 |
Wed 12 Jan 2022
Great Beginnings
"On the very day that I had come to this conclusion" [STUD]
It all began with a chance meeting between two medical school colleagues at the Criterion Bar. Stamford then took Watson to St Bartholomew…
00:22:22 |
Wed 05 Jan 2022
The Friendship Club
“nothing but a welcome for my friend and colleague” [TWIS] The great heroes of literature are frequently teamed up with a sidekick: Don Quixote with Sancho Panza, Robinson Crusoe with Friday, Huck…
00:21:38 |
Wed 29 Dec 2021
Reptiles & Amphibians
“a curiously reptilian fashion” [FINA] Aside from vipers, cobras, and adders, there are other reptiles in the Sherlock Holmes stories that either have a bearing on cases or are mentioned in passin…
00:20:50 |
Wed 22 Dec 2021
Did Sherlock Holmes Have a Sense of Humor?
“Homes seldom laughed.” [MAZA] Sherlock Holmes could be deadly serious. As in his encounter with Professor Moriarty, his matter-of-fact explanations, and when Watson wrote "Holmes seldom laughe…
00:24:52 |
Wed 15 Dec 2021
Street Lamps
“Holmes pointed to the street lamp” [SIXN] It's impossible to think about Victorian London without imagining street lamps. We're most familiar with the gas-powered versions, but there were other i…
00:28:20 |
Wed 08 Dec 2021
Damsels in Distress
“she confessed with distress” [LADY] Sherlock Holmes took on clients of all sorts, often when they were puzzled, had nowhere else to turn, or were particularly worried. And three ladies in parti…
00:27:00 |
Wed 01 Dec 2021
Romance in the Canon
“a love-story or an elopement” [SIGN] We don't think of the Sherlock Holmes stories as being romances, and yet there are elements of romance that find their way into these tales about complicat…
00:17:24 |
Wed 24 Nov 2021
British Birds
“a fierce old bird of prey” [SPEC] Birds are part of British life. Such is the reality of living on an island. And there were a great variety of birds we hear about in the Sherlock Holmes storie…
00:25:37 |
Wed 17 Nov 2021
Was Sherlock Holmes Crazy?
“You’re crazy!” [DANC] Sherlock Holmes had his eccentricities, without a question. Many scholars over the years have debated his mental health, with a wide variety of diagnoses. But there has bee…
00:20:29 |
Wed 10 Nov 2021
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