From time to time in the Sherlock Holmes stories foreign phrases dot the page, and you may find yourself wondering what those phrases mean. Well you do not have to wonder any longer because this post will set your mind at ease.
Near the beginning of chapter 6, part 1, of ‘A Study in Scarlet’ Holmes quotes Nicolas Boileau when describing the lot of the police detectives: “Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l’admire,” which translates from French into: “A fool always finds a greater fool to admire him.” At the end of that story, Watson quotes this Latin phrase from Horace: “Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo; Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplar in arca” (Book 1, Satire 1). It means, “The public hisses at me, but I applaud myself in my own house, and simultaneously contemplate the money in my chest.” Also, in ‘A Study in Scarlet’ the French word “adieu” means “good-bye” or, literally, “until God.”
‘The Sign of Four’ has several foreign phrases and words. Thaddeus Sholto quotes the French phrase of Stendhal in chapter 4: “Le mauvais gout mene au crime.” Which means, “Bad taste leads to crime.” In chapter 6, Holmes slightly misquotes a French saying of Francois de la Rochefoucauld. In commenting upon Inspector Athelney Jones’ noticing the trap-door in the roof, Holmes says, “He can find something, he has occasional glimmerings of reason. Il n’y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l’esprit!” (the original starts “Il n’y a point de . . .”) and it means: “There are no fools so troublesome as those that have some wit.” In chapter 6, Holmes quotes Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the first of two occasions; this time referring to the methods of Inspector Athelney Jones: “Wir sind gewohnt dass die Menschen verhohnen was sie nicht verstehen.” The translation from German goes: “We are used to seeing that Man despises what he never comprehends.” In chapter 10, Watson writes that Athelney Jones “faced his dinner with the air of a bon vivant.” The translation of ‘bon vivant’ from French is someone who knows how to enjoy life. Near the end of the story in chapter 12, Holmes says: “Yes, there are in me the makings of a very fine loafer, and also of a pretty spry sort of a fellow. I often think of those lines of old Goethe: Schade dass die Natur nur einen Mensch aus Dir schuf, / Denn zum wuerdigen Mann war und zum Schlemen der Stoff.” The translation from German goes: “Nature, alas, made only one being out of you although there was material for a good man and a rogue.”
In the short story ‘The Red-Headed League,’ Holmes laments explaining his reasoning by stating in Latin, “Omne ignotum pro magnifico,” or “Everything unknown seems magnificent.” At the end of the story Holmes says, “‘L’homme c’est rien–l’oeuvre c’est tout,’ as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand.” The translation from French is: “The man is nothing–the work is everything.”
In ‘A Case of Identity’ the French phrase “affaire du coeur” translates as “an affair of the heart” or “love affair.” Also, at the end of the story Holmes finishes by saying “Voilà tout!” in French, which simply means “That is all!”
Sherlock Holmes says, “Nous verrons, you work your own method, and I shall work mine. I shall be busy this afternoon, and shall probably return to London by the evening train,” in ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery. The translation of the French is: “We shall see.”
In ‘The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor’ the French phrase “fait accompli” translates as “fact realised or accomplished,” and it might be better understood with the modern idiom a done deal.
We find three French phrases or words in ‘The Valley of Fear,’ the first “genius loci” means roughly the mental impression left by a location. Second, Watson writes that no “peine forte et dure” would ever force Cecil James Barker to plead against his will. The translation of the French means: “Strong and hard punishment” or “torture.” Third, John McMurdo calls Ettie Shafter “acushla” several times which means “darling” in Irish.
Holmes calls Isadora Klein the “the ‘belle dame sans merci’ of fiction.” In ‘The Adventure of the Three Gables. The French translation is ‘The beautiful woman without mercy,’ and he is presumably referring to the 1424 poem of Alain Chartier or the 1819 English poem of John Keats both using the French title.
Several stories use the French phrase “au revoir” which literally means “to the next time we see one another.”
If anyone wants to add or correct anything, please make a comment out of it for the benefit of other readers.
NEXT WEEK: Woolly Wordings 6
oldpatrick 
I believe one of your advertisings triggered my internet browser to resize, you may well want to put that on your blacklist.
I don’t have any advertisers. Thanks for reading.
Hey! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble
with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and
I ended up losing months of hard work due to no data backup.
Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?
very nice post, i undoubtedly love this fabulous website,
continue it
Pingback: marvin smith
My spouse and I stumbled over here by a different website and thought I might check things out.
I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page
again.
Hi, i think that i noticed you visited my web site so
i got here to return the favor?.I am attempting to find things to improve my site!
I guess its adequate to make use of some of your ideas!
!
It is perfect time to make a few plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this submit and if I may
I desire to counsel you some fascinating
issues or advice. Perhaps you can write subsequent articles referring
to this article. I wish to learn even more issues approximately it!
It’s awesome to go to see this web site and reading the views of all friends regarding this post, while I am also keen of getting familiarity.
Hi to every body, it’s my first pay a visit of this website; this website consists of awesome and really excellent information for visitors.
Hi there to all, how is all, I think every one is getting
more from this site, and your views are fastidious for new visitors.
Excellent way of describing, and pleasant article to obtain facts regarding my presentation subject, which i am going to deliver in school.
Wow, incredible weblog format! How long have you been
blogging for? you make running a blog look easy. The entire glance of your site is magnificent, as well as the content!
My brother recommended I might like this website.
He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
We stumbled over here by a different page and thought I might as well
check things out. I like what I see so now i am
following you. Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
Greate article. Keep posting such kind of information on your site.
Im really impressed by your blog.
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and individually recommend to my friends. I’m confident
they’ll be benefited from this site.
We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your website offered us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done an impressive process and
our entire community will probably be thankful to you.
You need to consider part in a contest for among the finest blogs on the internet. I will advocate this website!
And thanks to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ for directing my attention the the end of ‘A Case of Identity.’ I seem to have a problem similar to Conan Doyle in finishing the story details.
Many thanks to ‘Cicis owls’ who knows the ending to ‘A Study in Scarlet’ better than I do.
Nice but you missed to translate the meaning of two french words which are at the last of “A Case Of Identity”.
Thank you very much for pointing this out. It is corrected now, and I have posted the fact. Also, perhaps we may now say ‘voilà tout’ the corrections!
Wonderful explanations of translations. Since you asked for corrections I note that it is Watson – not Holmes – who quotes Horace at the end of Study in Scarlet. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
You are correct (said with red egg on my face). I have corrected this, and I have commented on the fact. Thank you so very much for your assistance, and I also appreciate the fact that you took the time to really read the post!
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all of us; you actually recognise what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Please additionally visit my website =). We may have a hyperlink alternate contract among us
Thank you for your kind words. I would like to think I know this topic.
very good put up, i definitely love this web site, keep on it
Thank you. Glad you love the website.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this weblog and I am inspired! Extremely helpful info specifically the closing section 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this certain info for a very lengthy time. Thanks and best of luck.
Thank you very much. Glad to be helpful.
I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is beautiful value enough for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you did, the internet will likely be much more helpful than ever before.
Thank you very much. I would like to think I have a quality website.
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or blog
posts on this sort of house . Exploring in Yahoo I at last
stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i’m glad to express that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I
discovered just what I needed. I such a lot surely
will make sure to don?t disregard this web site and provides it a glance
on a constant basis.
Glad you found the blog helpful, and come again anytime!
It’s wonderful that you are getting thoughts from this paragraph as well as from our argument made at this time.
I am not sure what your argument is, but thank you for commenting.
Thank you!! Greetings from Greece 🙂
Glad you’re on board!
thanks helped me alot
Glad to help.
You are in point of fact a good webmaster. The website loading pace is amazing. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have performed a fantastic activity on this topic!
Thank you very much for the kind words. I have used mostly default settings, and it seems to let the website work efficiently from the comments received.
Nice blog right here! Also your site lots up fast! What web host are you using?
Can I get your associate hyperlink on your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Thank you very much. I use WordPress for hosting my blog, and it works very well. I have had a few comments about the fast loading, and I mostly use the default settings.