sharing my love of books with you
I have to remember sometimes that The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes is a British book, so I don’t recognize all of the food mentioned in the book. I certainly never would have guessed when I started “The Mystery of the Dustbin” what a winkle was.
Winkle – a small mollusk with spiral shell
Usage: Mr Horatio Smiff never wasted the winkle. He was framed!
I was so glad to come across this word in “The Last of the Potatoes” in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes. I’ve always thought it was such a funny word.
Purloined – stolen (the dictionary states it is a formal yet humorous verb)
Usage: “The duchess had boldly purloined the potato.”
(In my opinion, the story should have been called The Case of the Purloined Potato.)
“The shortage of trousers had been very severely felt, especially during the winter. The matter was however promptly and efficiently taken in hand by the Bags Department, and a Kecks Controller appointed. A trouserless day once a week had been suggested, but the suggestion was dismissed owing to opposition in every part of the kingdom except the Highlands of Scotland.”
“The Case of the Teuton’s Trousers”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles HAmilton, circa 1917
This was another word that I could guess the meaning by the contest, but I didn’t know how to pronounce it. I found this word in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, “The Case of the Teuton’s Trousers”.
Denouement (pronounced da-noo-man) – the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear
Usage: “If you care to accompany me today, I have no doubt I shall be able to show you a very interesting denouement.”
I saw this word in the last Sherlock Holmes tale I read, “The Resident Patient”. Based on context, I figured it was a horse drawn carriage of some kind, but I looked it up because I didn’t know how to pronounce it.
Brougham (pronounced “broo-um” or “bro-um”) – a horse drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open drivers seat in front
Usage: “There’s a brougham waiting for us, Watson,” said he.
I found this new word when I began reading “The Greek Interpreter” in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Avatism – tendency to revert to something ancient or ancestral; recurrence of traits of an ancestor in subsequent generations
Usage: “It was after tea on a summer evening, and the conversation … came round at last to the question of atavism and hereditary aptitudes.”
”It’s every man’s business to see justice done.”
“The Crooked Man”, The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, circa 1893
“You forget the old Ryan charm.” Ryan winked at me.
“And when that fails?”
“I’ll flash my badge.”
“You have no jurisdiction here.”
“I’ll flash it very fast.”
– 206 Bones, Kathy Reichs, 2009
I was at a thrift store the other day and stumbled across this book called 206 Bones, by Kathy Reichs. Reichs’ books about forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan were the inspiration for the television series Bones (which I absolutely love!). Until I watched Bones, I had never heard of Kathy Reichs and her books. Although 206 Bones is the twelfth in the series, I had to start reading it today. I couldn’t wait! It jumped ahead of so many other books on my TBR list, even jumped in front of Holmes for the day. I’m only a few chapters in, but I wanted to share this series, in particular this book, with you right away. Someone is trying to ruin Dr. Brennan. She will have to be very careful! Now I’m going to keep reading…
Here is a new word from Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson. You may recognize it from the poem I posted earlier about old books.
Vellum – fine parchment, originally made of calf skin
Usage: “Old volumes shake their vellum heads.”
“The ancient manuscript is on vellum.”
Hi! I'm Cadie. Welcome to my Collection of Bookish Thoughts where I will share with you everything I love about books.
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