Elementary, my dear Watson

1. A phrase often attributed to Sherlock Holmes , the English detective in the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . Holmes supposedly says this to his amazed companion, Dr. Watson, as he explains his reasoning in solving a crime. Though these precise words are never used in the Holmes stories, something like them appears in the story “The Crooked Man”: “‘Excellent!’ I [Watson] cried. ‘Elementary,’ said he.”