Sherlock Holmes
1
2.9
- proper noun
- Literature
:
Sherlock Holmes
- I've never really been interested in Sherlock Holmes.
Examples
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Narrator 1: Sherlock Holmes is a world-famous detective.
Fiction book (2002) -
Sherlock Holmes is on the case to find out who will get the.
Blog text (29) -
Detective Sherlock Holmes dresses up like a monk.
Fiction book (2002) -
It's not Sherlock Holmes.
Blog text (29) -
There's nothing stuffy, tweedy, or even old-fashioned about the original Sherlock Holmes.
Blog text (29) -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used Poe's brilliant detective, C. August Dupin, as a model to create Sherlock Holmes.
Fiction book (2002) -
A Study in Scarlet is Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel, and now that I've read it, I can understand what all the hype is about.
Blog text (29) -
There's an explosive sequence near the end that's a complete lift of the slow-motion booby-trap grenade sequence in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.
Blog text (29) -
Many readers admire Sherlock Holmes for his keen observation skills and logical reasoning.
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The adventures of Sherlock Holmes have captivated audiences for generations, making him a legendary character.
Synonyms
235
4.6
A fictional detective who solves crimes using careful observation and logical thinking
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a proper name referring to a specific fictional character; its meaning is not compositionally derived from the parts 'Sherlock' and 'Holmes'. A B1 learner who only knows the constituent names would not infer 'a famous detective known for keen observation and reasoning' without prior exposure, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Sherlock Holmes is a made-up name from stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a detective who notices tiny details and uses clear logic to solve cases. That's why people call someone a 'Sherlock Holmes' when they mean 'a very clever detective' or someone who can 'solve a mystery'.