[Ads-l] Earliest Occurrence of "Elementary, my dear Watson"

Mon Jan 23 17:11:45 UTC 2023

Nice discovery, Garson !

Fred

________________________________
From: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2023 4:10 AM
To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu>; Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
Subject: Re: Earliest Occurrence of "Elementary, my dear Watson"

Thanks for sharing a great new citation, Fred.
The Quote Investigator article has now been updated and changes should
be visible within 24 hours.

Elementary, My Dear Watson
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquoteinvestigator.com%2F2016%2F07%2F14%2Fwatson%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=06RvyCBBMMiDjnwnZD9ywWgWBhpZrxe3w0nTkjVxQTQ%3D&reserved=0

[Begin acknowledgement]
Great thanks to Fred R. Shapiro who wrote about the key early
citations in 1893 and 1901 in the “Yale Alumni Magazine”. In addition,
Shapiro announced the 1908 citation on the American Dialect Society
mailing list.
[End acknowledgement]

The QI article includes this 1902 citation containing a partial match:

[Begin QI excerpt]
In July 1902 an article by J. Murray Moore in the “Journal of the
British Homoeopathic Society” discussed the non-fictional inspiration
of the Holmes character, and employed an expression that closely
matched the one being traced:[5]

[Begin nested quotation]
My friend and teacher Dr. Joseph Bell, of Edinburgh acquired such an
admirable facility in accurately naming the occupations of his
dispensary patients by their hands, dress and gestures, that his
distinguished pupil, Dr. Conan Doyle, has made him famous in romance
as the original of Sherlock Holmes, the “champion detective” of
fiction. As that remarkable man would say, “It is the merest
elementary knowledge, my dear Watson, to note the pricked and
blackened left forefinger of the seamstress; the pyrogallic acid
stains of the photographer; the flattened finger-tip of the
bricklayer…
[End nested quotation]

[5] 1902 July, Journal of the British Homoeopathic Society, Volume 10,
Number 3, The Hand as an Indicator of Disease by J. Murray Moore,
Start Page 249, Quote Page 250, John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, London.
(Google Books Full View)

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DlegBAAAAYAAJ%26q%3D%2522merest%2Belementary%2522%23v%3Dsnippet%26&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wvfiuS6BMXJrqvWI1QWmCJS2v0rhMnbe2Z1PtBnPM9U%3D&reserved=0

[End QI excerpt]

Garson

On Sat, Jan 21, 2023 at 1:43 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> Many sources attribute the earliest known use of the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" to 1929 ir 1915 or 1909.  The 1909 date comes from my own research.  In the New Yale Book of Quotations I trace "Elementary, my dear fellow" to 1893 and the parodic "Elementary, my dear Potson" to 1901.
>
> I have now found the exact words "Elementary, my dear Watson" in a 1908 newspaper.  This is not that important because the "Elementary, my dear Potson" citations certainly establish that "Elementary, my dear Watson" was used by 1901, but this is such a celebrated quotation that documentation of its exact occurrence is of some interest.
>
> The newly found citation is "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the Globe (London), 27 Feb. 1908, page 1 (British Newspaper Archive).
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=P0OkxddLuqFl3vEfvgCPnrYNO6kFeQyEY1Ra4flgF8o%3D&reserved=0

________________________________
From: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2023 4:10 AM
To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu>; Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
Subject: Re: Earliest Occurrence of "Elementary, my dear Watson"

Thanks for sharing a great new citation, Fred.
The Quote Investigator article has now been updated and changes should
be visible within 24 hours.

Elementary, My Dear Watson
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquoteinvestigator.com%2F2016%2F07%2F14%2Fwatson%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=06RvyCBBMMiDjnwnZD9ywWgWBhpZrxe3w0nTkjVxQTQ%3D&reserved=0

[Begin acknowledgement]
Great thanks to Fred R. Shapiro who wrote about the key early
citations in 1893 and 1901 in the “Yale Alumni Magazine”. In addition,
Shapiro announced the 1908 citation on the American Dialect Society
mailing list.
[End acknowledgement]

The QI article includes this 1902 citation containing a partial match:

[Begin QI excerpt]
In July 1902 an article by J. Murray Moore in the “Journal of the
British Homoeopathic Society” discussed the non-fictional inspiration
of the Holmes character, and employed an expression that closely
matched the one being traced:[5]

[Begin nested quotation]
My friend and teacher Dr. Joseph Bell, of Edinburgh acquired such an
admirable facility in accurately naming the occupations of his
dispensary patients by their hands, dress and gestures, that his
distinguished pupil, Dr. Conan Doyle, has made him famous in romance
as the original of Sherlock Holmes, the “champion detective” of
fiction. As that remarkable man would say, “It is the merest
elementary knowledge, my dear Watson, to note the pricked and
blackened left forefinger of the seamstress; the pyrogallic acid
stains of the photographer; the flattened finger-tip of the
bricklayer…
[End nested quotation]

[5] 1902 July, Journal of the British Homoeopathic Society, Volume 10,
Number 3, The Hand as an Indicator of Disease by J. Murray Moore,
Start Page 249, Quote Page 250, John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, London.
(Google Books Full View)

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DlegBAAAAYAAJ%26q%3D%2522merest%2Belementary%2522%23v%3Dsnippet%26&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wvfiuS6BMXJrqvWI1QWmCJS2v0rhMnbe2Z1PtBnPM9U%3D&reserved=0

[End QI excerpt]

Garson

On Sat, Jan 21, 2023 at 1:43 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> Many sources attribute the earliest known use of the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" to 1929 ir 1915 or 1909.  The 1909 date comes from my own research.  In the New Yale Book of Quotations I trace "Elementary, my dear fellow" to 1893 and the parodic "Elementary, my dear Potson" to 1901.
>
> I have now found the exact words "Elementary, my dear Watson" in a 1908 newspaper.  This is not that important because the "Elementary, my dear Potson" citations certainly establish that "Elementary, my dear Watson" was used by 1901, but this is such a celebrated quotation that documentation of its exact occurrence is of some interest.
>
> The newly found citation is "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the Globe (London), 27 Feb. 1908, page 1 (British Newspaper Archive).
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40yale.edu%7Ce1bbd5f4e0bc4d9f6bb808dafd21b8e8%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638100618524467064%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=P0OkxddLuqFl3vEfvgCPnrYNO6kFeQyEY1Ra4flgF8o%3D&reserved=0

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