Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·68 of 348
"Elementary, my dear Watson."
They never said that.
What people say
"Elementary, my dear Watson."
What was actually said
"Elementary," and "My dear Watson" — never stitched together in Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes — Sherlock Holmes canon (1887–1927)
Why it stuck
The two phrases both appear in the stories — just not as one line. Stage adaptations fused them; the fused form became the icon.
The combined line first appears in the 1929 film "The Return of Sherlock Holmes."
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.