This descriptive word was found in the first paragraph of “The Priory School” in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The definition surprised me a little, but it makes sense now that I have read the story.

Dolorous – causing, marked by, or expressing misery or grief

Usage: “The heavy, white face was seamed with lines of trouble, the hanging pouches under the closed eyes were leaden in color, the loose mouth drooped dolorously at the corners, the rolling chins were unshaven.”

Dr Watson is describing a man who staggered up the steps at their Baker Street rooms and collapsed at the door in anguish. Why? You’re going to have to read “The Priory School”.

Here, I think, is an old word that we don’t use much anymore. I wasn’t very sure what it meant exactly when I read it in “The Solitary Cyclist” in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, so I had to look it up. However, I am not regularly around stables or people who deal directly with horses, so this word may still be used regularly in some circles.

Ostler – one who takes care of horses and mules (according to Merriam-Webster, it is “less common variant of hostler”)

Usage: Holmes sent the ostler to fetch the constables, glad he had not suffered ill-effects from an earlier club to the head.

I found this word in “The Solitary Cyclist” in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I should have guessed the meaning by the context, but its so simple, and I had no clue.

Greensward – grass-covered ground (see? simple)

Usage: “We had broken suddenly into a lovely glade of greensward surrounded by ancient trees.”

(You will have to read “The Solitary Cyclist” to find out why Holmes and Watson were breaking so suddenly into a grassy area. It’s part of the plot twist of the story.)

As I was reading “The Solitary Cyclist” in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I realized it would be nice sometimes to include pictures of the flowers or birds that Watson describes. As an American, I don’t usually get to see the same kind of wildlife that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle saw everyday. Pictured below is the Common Gorse, or as Watson called it, the Flowering Gorse. Picture credit goes to The Wildlife Trusts.

Usage: “A rainy night had been followed by a glorious morning, and the heath-covered countryside, with the flowering gorse, seemed all the more beautiful to the eyes which were weary of the duns and drabs and slate grays of London.”

The curious case of “The Solitary Cyclist” developed into an actual tale of crime and had a twist that I didn’t see coming. This is one of The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I didn’t foresee the ending, but Holmes did, and used this word to describe what he was anticipating.

Untoward – unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient

Usage: “I think, Watson, that we must spare time to run down together on Saturday morning and make sure that this curious and inclusive investigation has no untoward ending.”

Here is a word that Dr Watson uses regularly to describe the villains in The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In particular, this is how he described Mr Woodley, the abductor, in “The Solitary Cyclist” and Mr Milverton, the blackmailer, in “Charles Augustus Milverton”.

Odious – extremely unpleasant and revulsive

Usage: “That odious man, Mr Woodley.”