Meanings
- Used to emphasize that the speaker's deductive abilities are better than those of the listener.
What have we for lunch? Stew? How did I know? Elementary, my dear Watson—the smell of onions is unmistakable.
1922 January, Agatha Christie, “Annette”, in The Secret Adversary, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1922, →OCLC, page 1915 more examples
The possibility of signaling to the planet Mars is merely a question of elementary mathematics. […] It is such a simple little problem that any one should be able to take a pad and pencil and work it out in ten minutes. "Elementary, my dear Watson," as Sherlock Holmes was wont to say. "Elementary."
1909 August 24, “Signaling to Mars. An elementary problem, says Professor [Edward Charles] Pickering, of Harvard.”, in The Times Dispatch, number 17,992, Richmond, Va.: [Times-Dispatch Pub. Co.], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6, column 7"I fancy," said Psmith, "that this is one of those moments when it is necessary for me to unlimber my Sherlock Holmes system. […] Do you follow me, Comrade Maloney?" / "That's right," said Billy Windsor. "Of course." / "Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary," murmured Psmith.
1909 October – 1910 February, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “In Pleasant Street”, in Psmith Journalist, London: A[dam] & C[harles] Black, […], published October 1923, →OCLC, page 140"[…]All I have to do is to make my plans to meet you here. Where are the jewels? Let us waste no more time!" / "Elementary, my dear Watson," murmured the Duke into Simon's ear. / Simon chuckled suddenly into his hand.
1933, Dennis Wheatley, “Chapter XVI. The Dark Château”, in The Forbidden Territory, First US edition, New York: E.P Dutton &Co.,Inc., page 133Elementary, 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.
1995 June 30, Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos [pseudonym; Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente], “Subcomandante Marcos: 1994–1996 – Spreading the Word [The Tale of Durito’s Return]”, in [anonymous], transl., edited by Žiga Vodovnik, ¡Ya Basta! Ten Years of the Zapatista Uprising: Writings of Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, Oakland, Calif.; Edinburgh: AK Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 175"Seems like you've got it all figured out, but if I was FBI, why would I go in alone and risk my life to save you? 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.[…]"
2012, Ethan Cross, chapter 37, in The Shepherd, London: Arrow Books, Random House, →ISBN, part 3 (The Rod and the Staff), page 201
Origin
A statement apparently addressed by Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective and protagonist of many stories by the British author Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), to his friend Dr. John H. Watson. Although Holmes occasionally states that his conclusions are “elementary” and often addresses his friend as “my dear Watson”, the exact phrase does not appear in any of Doyle’s stories. The closest is the following passage from “The Crooked Man” (1893): “‘I have the advantage of knowing your habits, my dear Watson,’ said he [Holmes]. […] ‘Excellent,’ I [Watson] cried. ‘Elementary,’ said he.” The phrase probably originated from the play Sherlock Holmes (1899) by the American actor and playwright William Gillette (1853–1937), based on Doyle’s stories, which featured the phrases “Elementary, my dear fellow” and “my dear Watson”. The play was revised many times, and thus it has been suggested that over the course of many performances “Elementary, my dear Watson” was also spoken. Subsequently, the phrase was probably popularized by its use in the series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films (1939–1946) starring the British actors Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish elementært, min kære Watson
- elementært, min kære Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Finnish yksinkertaista, rakas Watson
- yksinkertaista, rakas Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
German elementar, mein lieber Watson
- elementar, mein lieber Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Italian elementare, Watson
- elementare, Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Portuguese elementar, meu caro Watson
- elementar, meu caro Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Russian элементарно, Ватсон
- элементарно, Ватсон (elementarno, Vatson)used to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Spanish elemental, mi querido Watson
- elemental, mi querido Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Swedish elementärt, min käre Watson
- elementärt, min käre Watsonused to emphasize that the speaker’s deductive abilities are better than those of the listener
Cite this entry
elementary, my dear Watson. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elementary%2C%20my%20dear%20Watson
“elementary, my dear Watson.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elementary%2C%20my%20dear%20Watson. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elementary, my dear Watson,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elementary%2C%20my%20dear%20Watson.
Source: elementary, my dear Watson on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.