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.

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Update frequency: every 7 days
Average duration: 23 minutes
Episodes: 453
Years Active: 2017 - 2025

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Corpulence in the Canon

“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. …

00:27:54 | Wed 21 Feb 2024

An Essex Adventure

“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…

00:25:44 | Thu 15 Feb 2024

Watson's Billiard Playing

“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 a…

00:23:24 | Thu 08 Feb 2024

Hunting Crops

“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. …

00:24:28 | Thu 01 Feb 2024

Hosmeric Hypocrisy

“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 trifl…

00:18:14 | Thu 25 Jan 2024

The Other Boarder

“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 rev…

00:18:42 | Thu 18 Jan 2024

The Underground Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

“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. …

00:23:08 | Wed 10 Jan 2024

Soothing Elements

“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…

00:32:49 | Thu 04 Jan 2024

Oh My!

“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 o…

00:37:47 | Wed 27 Dec 2023

Watson à la Mode

“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 Jo…

00:31:23 | Wed 20 Dec 2023

The 12 Trifles of Christmas

“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…

00:26:52 | Wed 13 Dec 2023

Hand Washing

“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 …

00:25:57 | Wed 06 Dec 2023

Bears

“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 fou…

00:29:12 | Thu 30 Nov 2023

By Jove!

“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!" W…

00:25:26 | Wed 22 Nov 2023

Dr. Watson's Secret

“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 dete…

00:25:00 | Thu 16 Nov 2023

Pencils

“Now, then, give him the pencil.” [GREE] Writing implements are a part of daily life. They are today and they were when Watson was writing the stories. And from the very first story, Watson…

00:34:37 | Thu 09 Nov 2023

Thanks!

00:31:16 | Thu 02 Nov 2023

Tigers

“bag of tigers” [EMPT] We continue to clean up and cover a few more animals that we missed in previous seasons. The tiger was another foreign curiosity for Victorians, being native to Asia – …

00:32:29 | Wed 25 Oct 2023

Was Sherlock Holmes an American?

“I’m a free-born American” [STUD] It's the final quarter of our Masters Class series, and this is the first of three essays we're going to bring you from the pen of Christopher Morley. Morely is…

00:30:21 | Thu 19 Oct 2023

By George!

“By George, it’s marvellous!” [GOLD] "By George!" It's an expression you've heard and read thousands of times, most likely. And it comes up in the Sherlock Holmes stories, naturally. We found "by…

00:33:26 | Thu 12 Oct 2023

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