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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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'Elementary, my dear Watson'
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A phrase popularly held to have been used by Sherlock *Holmes when explaining a brilliant piece of detection to his slower-witted assistant. It seems to have evolved from a single use of the word in 'The Crooked Man', one of the stories in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894). Watson, as usual, is the narrator: '"Excellent!" I cried. "Elementary", said he.'
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