elementary, my dear Watson

English

Etymology

Alluding to Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective and protagonist of many stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Nevertheless, the exact phrase "elementary, my dear Watson" was never used in Doyle's stories.

Phrase

elementary, my dear Watson

1. Used to emphasize how much more clever the speaker's deductive abilities are than those of the listener.
   • 1922, Agatha Christie, “Chapter 17”, in The Secret Adversary:

     "No light repartee, have you, old bean? There, there, we can't always have brains as well as beauty. What have we for lunch? Stew? How did I know? Elementary, my dear Watson—the smell of onions is unmistakable."

   • 2005, Marcos (subcomandante.), Conversations with Durito, page 109:

     Elementary, my dear Watson! There's an invisible element in the cabinet, a character that, without making itself known, gives coherence to and makes systemic all the braying of the government team. A boss to whose command everyone submits.

   • 2020, Ethan Cross, The Ackerman Thrillers Boxset: 1-6:

     " […] Why wouldn't I call in the troops and end this once and for all?" "Elementary, my dear Watson. You don't know who to trust either. You're in the same position as me . […] "