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Psychical – psychic – supposedly sensitive to forces beyond the physical world
“Herlock Sholmes, by his marvelous psychical power, detected the question which was framing itself in my mind.”
the complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles Hamilton, 1921
“The worst of it ism I’ve never seen Mynheer Schwottem,” groaned [Inspector] Pinkeye. “He’s a bit of a mystery man, as you know. Beyond the fact that he was fat, wore a heavy flaxen mustache and beard and blue spectacles. I can get no good description of him. Help me to find him and his ray apparatus, Mr. Sholmes, and if ever you are arrested for not paying your income tax, I’ll visit you in prison.”
“The Schowottem Ray”, Inspector Pinkeye to Herlock Sholmes, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, 1924
“With the approach of the holiday season I noticed alarming symptoms in my amazing friend, Mr. Herlock Sholmes. At frequent intervals his eyes would turn inwards and concentrate on the end of his aquiline nose. Then he would make a vicious sweep with his hand as though to remove an imaginary fly from the tip of his highly-developed proboscis. He would awake at night yelling that spotted starfish were jumping at him. These symptoms led me to the reluctant conclusion that Sholmes was suffering from a condition known to the medical profession as temporarius non compos mentis, or, in other words, a temporary attack of bats in the belfry.”
“The Mystery of the Vacant House”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles Hamilton, printed 1921
I had quite forgotten how funny Herlock Sholmes is with his larger than life nose, even bigger pipe, and cocaine cask always nearby. And Dr Jotson, too, with his line of patients who drop like flies or can’t “stir abroad save in an ambulance”.
I also forgot that I didn’t actually finish reading The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes. So I added it back in to my daily reading this week.
Herlock Sholmes, if you haven’t guessed, is a parody of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. A few years ago, just as I was starting this blog, I read Holmes and Sholmes in tandem. Some of the early Sholmes mysteries were nearly exact replicas of the original Holmes stories. For example, while Sherlock Holmes was clearing up the case of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Herlock Sholmes was investigating The Bound of the Haskervilles.
During World War I, Sholmes investigated cases of espionage and resolved issues of governmental waste and corruption, especially in the Red Tape Office, the Unanswered Letters Department, and the Circumlocution Department. Before and after the war, he helped locals find missing items, solved ghost mysteries, and befuddled Inspector Pinkeye’s New Year’s resolution.
I don’t know how many copies of the Herlock Sholmes archives there are, but if you ever see one in a used book store, snatch it up, especially if you love a good laugh and a comical parody. You won’t be disappointed.
“After the clock had struck thirteen – ever since Sholmes gave it a wash and brush up it had worked overtime – the conversation turned on New Year’s resolutions.”
Dr Jotson, “Pinkeye’s New Year Resolution”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock SHolmes, circa 1921
I am sure I’ve never seen this word before I found it in “The Case of the Lame Snail”, in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes. I had to stop reading and look it up. From the context, I thought it might mean something like the center of attention. I wasn’t entirely wrong.
Cynosure – someone or something that strongly attracts attention or admiration; something serving for guidance or direction
Usage: “Herlock Sholmes was the cynosure of all eyes as he picked up the football and drew from his pocket a large magnifying glass.”
In this case, Sholmes’ help is required to determine the winner of a football (soccer) match. Dr Jotson is concerned at the end of the story that Sholmes made a mistake, the only one he had ever known Sholmes to make. You will have to read “The Case of the Lame Snail” yourself to determine if Sholmes did in fact make a mistake.
This is a fun word to say. I found it in “Pinkeye’s New Year Resolution” in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes. From the context, I thought it might mean courage, maybe even stupid courage, and I was not far off the true definition. There are some modern terms one could use, but they are vulgar and (in my opinion) distasteful. Why not use a nice word like temerity instead?
Temerity – reckless boldness, rashness
Usage: “Information at my disposal leads me to the conclusion that he has rented an office in the wing of a large building, owned by the Limehouse Trust, Limited. Moreover, he has had the temerity to put his real name on the door.”
“The violin under the lean, capable hands of my famous friend [Herlock Sholmes], was emitting the strains of that well-known Christmas carol “Rest you merry gentlemen”. Unfortunately the lodgers in the flat above refused to be rested. They stamped their hob-nailed boots, they dropped enamel plates and started an atrocious gramophone in opposition. But then they weren’t gentlemen.
Dr Jotson, “The Mystery of the Mince-Pie”, The complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, circa 1920
I know that I have read this word and heard it spoken before. I think it means fast or quick. When I found it in “The Mystery of the Mince-Pie” in The Compete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, I decided it was high time I looked the word up to be sure. Well, I was not very close with my definition.
Voracious – craving or consuming large quantities of food (voracity is the noun version of this adjective)
Usage: “With some dismay I noticed that my amazing friend was suffering from a severe lack of proportion. He served the Turnham Greens, their guests and me, with a cube of pudding about the size of a piece of loaf sugar. The remainder he placed on his own plate. Even though the dinner was a change from the kippers and pancakes of Mrs Spudson, Sholmes might have controlled his voracity. Once he nearly choked with a large mouthful of pudding and had to bury his head in the large red pocket handkerchief.”
Here is a curious word that Dr Jotson uses to describe Sholmes’ pipe in “The Mystery of the Mince-Pie”. As I am not a smoker, I decided to look the word up to find its exact meaning. In fact, the word has no special meaning or tongue-in-cheek use. It truly describes the pipe.
Meershaum – a mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, occurring in white, claylike masses, used especially for pipe bowls
Usage: “Between his thin lips was a large meershaum pipe.” (from The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes)
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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