sherlock
or Sher·lock
[shur-lok]
- a private detective.
- a person remarkably adept at solving mysteries, especially by using insight and logical deduction: Who's the sherlock who can tell me where my pen is?
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Origin of sherlock
after Sherlock Holmes, fictitious detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock
[shur-lok]
- a male given name: from an Old English word meaning “fair-haired.”
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sherlock
Contemporary Examples
Sherlock Holmes is a new millennium sex symbol with books, movies, and TV episodes introducing him to a new generation of fans.
Of course, you could protest that Sherlock did not really exist and the Ripper did.
LONDON — If Sherlock Holmes was such a smart detective, why was he not put on the case of Jack the Ripper?
He is a pudgy, bespectacled, homburg-wearing cuckold of a Sherlock in those fish-grey postwar years of 1970s England.
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous MastermindMichael Weiss
July 2, 2014
Conan Doyle eventually left medicine and created Sherlock Holmes, a character who brought science to the masses.
Historical Examples
He'll ketch the thief, for he's sartainly got Sherlock Holmes beat to a frazzle.
Rival Pitchers of OakdaleMorgan Scott
"I think I have known how to frame the letter," said Sherlock Holmes.
The Return of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle
"I think I should like to have a word with you presently, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said he.
The Return of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle
"That is the problem which we are now about to solve," said Sherlock Holmes.
The Return of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes left the house alone, and only returned after eleven.
The Return of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle
Word Origin and History for sherlock
Sherlock
masc. proper name, literally "fair-haired," from Old English scir "bright" + locc "lock of hair." Slang for "private detective, perceptive person" (the latter often ironic) is attested from 1903, from A.C. Doyle's fictional character Sherlock Holmes (full name in this sense used from 1896; Holmes debuted in 1887 and was popular by 1892).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper