“I was busy that afternoon, having several operations to perform, and the subsequent death-certificates to sign.”
“A Murder Mystery”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles Hamilton, circa 1918
Tag: Charles Hamilton (Page 3 of 4)
“An extraordinary case, Mr Sholmes,” said the inspector. “Mr Skinnem, the managing director of Messrs. Skull & Krossbones, the shipowners, was found dead in his private office. There was no sign of violence about the body, and death had apparently been instantaneous. The medical evidence is the Mr Skinnem had been the victim of a sudden shock – how administered, it is for the police to discover.”
“A Murder Mystery”, The complete Casebook of Herlock SHolmes, Charles Hamilton, circa 1918
I have heard this word before, and I find it fun to say. What a surprise to come across it in “The Lottery Ticket” in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes.
Perspicacity – the quality of having a ready insight to things, shrewdness
Usage: “After that amazing example of my friend’s perspicacity, nothing could shake my faith in him.”
Perhaps it is no big surprise after all that Jotson uses perspicacity to describe Sholmes. Maybe I should be more surprised that he didn’t use it ’til the last case in 1917.
I learned this obscure word this week when I was reading “The Lottery Ticket”, in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes.
Augured – to foretell, especially from omens
Usage: “I augured success from the playful manner in which he hooked his umbrella upon my left ear.”
FYI From Merriam-Webster dictionary: “Did you know? Auguring is what augurs did in ancient Rome. Augurs were official diviners whose function it was not to foretell the future, but to divine whether the gods approved of a proposed undertaking, such as a military move. They did so by various means, among them observing the behavior of birds and examining the entrails of sacrificed animals. Nowadays, the foretell sense of the verb is often used with an adverb, such as well. Augur comes from Latin and is related to the Latin verb augēre, meaning “to increase.”
This word comes up frequently in the wartime tales of Herlock Sholmes. The Red Tape Department is part of the Circumlocution Office in The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes.
Circumlocution – the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in an attempt to be vague or evasive
Usage: The dictionary’s sample sentence is, “His admission came after years of circumlocution.”
“The stopping of the clock by the bullet, Jotson, is the fatal circumstance in the case. At first I considered whether perhaps it was Inspector Pinkeye’s face that had stopped the clock.”
“The Case of the American Clock”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles Hamilton, circa 1917
“My name is Horatio Smiff… my services are indispensable in the Unanswered Letters Department.”
“The Mystery of the Dustbin”, The complete Casebook of Herlock Sholmes, Charles Hamilton, circa 1917
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