“You are certainly joking, Holmes” [BLUE]
Sherlock Holmes was a practical joker.
The great consulting detective — known for his deductive reasoning skills, his numerous monographs, and the seriousness with which he took his work — enjoyed practical jokes.
He admitted it himself in "The Mazarin Stone," when he returned the jewel to its rightful owner:
“Too bad, Lord Cantlemere, too bad!” cried Holmes. “My old friend here will tell you that I have an impish habit of practical joking. Also that I can never resist a dramatic situation. I took the liberty—the very great liberty, I admit—of putting the stone into your pocket at the beginning of our interview.”
He used a similar ruse (but didn't admit it) with the Right Honourable Trelawney Hope in "The Second Stain," when he slipped the missing document back into the despatch box.
So when clients, the police, or perpetrators claimed actions were practical jokes — such as in "The Dancing Men," "The Five Orange Pips," or "The Norwood Builder," respectively — Holmes, an inveterate practical joker as well as a world-class consulting detective, knew that such suggestions were incorrect.
Add to this Holmes's delight in fooling others with his various disguises, and we find a wonderfully mischievous sense of humor beneath the logical exterior.
And to think it might have all started at Baker Street Elementary...
Baker Street Elementary follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at www.bakerstreetelementary.org.
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