[Ads-l] Follow-up: Quote: Elementary, My Dear Watson

[Christopher Philippo]

"All of this is quite elementary, my dear 'Fellow of the Chemical Society.'"
Luis. "Letters to the Editor: The Natural Forces." English Mechanic and World of Science 58(1487). September 22, 1893. 108. https://books.google.com/books?id=X0ZCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA108&dq=%22elementary+my+dear%22

That's already been noted, I see now:

>Google Books retrieves an even earlier possible parody. In the September 22, 1893, issue of English Mechanic and World of Science, a reader’s letter said: “All this is quite elementary, my dear ‘Fellow of the Chemical Society.’” That could be a coincidence, unrelated to Sherlock Holmes. But after all, “The Adventure of the Crooked Man” was first published in the Strand magazine in July 1893. My guess is that “Elementary, my dear fellow” was born shortly after, with “Elementary, my dear Watson” soon to follow.
Shapiro, Fred. "Getting it wrong—but better; You can quote them: Three famous sayings that were never really said." Yale Alumni Magazine. May/June 2016. https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/4295-getting-it-wrongbut-better


------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org