Who Said It - Holmes or Poirot? Quiz

Answer: Holmes

This is one of the most famous of Sherlock Holmes' statements. It comes from the 1890 novel, "The Sign of the Four" (also known as "The Sign of Four"). It was also quoted by Spock in the Star Trek movie, "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) when he said, "An ancestor of mine maintained that when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth", thus implying that Spock might be related to Sherlock Holmes or Arthur Conan Doyle.

Answer: Poirot

This quote was Poirot's response to Hastings' question regarding how Poirot could determine which facts are important and which are not. It is from "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920), Agatha Christie's first published novel and the one which introduced her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, to the world.

Answer: Holmes

This quote is from "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" (1892), a short story from the collection, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". The story revolves the theft of a priceless gem called the Blue Carbuncle. Unfortunately, this story reveals Conan Doyle's ignorance in the area of gemology as there is no such thing as a blue carbuncle. In the study of precious stones, a carbuncle is defined as a "cabochon-cut red gem" (technically a garnet, though it may also refer to a ruby or red spinel).

Answer: Holmes

This quote is from "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (1891), a short story from the collection, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". Many of the Sherlock Holmes short stories were initially published in "The Strand Magazine" and illustrated by Sidney Paget.

It was in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" that Sherlock Holmes acquired his deerstalker hat, courtesy of Paget's illustrations, although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never mentioned Holmes as wearing a deerstalker in his stories. Conan Doyle only referred to a "close-fitting cloth cap" and an "ear-flapped travelling cap".

Answer: Poirot

In this statement, Christie was indirectly contrasting the methods used by Sherlock Holmes, i.e. examination of physical clues, and those of Poirot, who believes that the study of the human mind and behaviour is more important. Poirot was of the opinion that the psychology of the crime would reveal the motive and provide more clues as to the identity of the perpetrator than mere physical evidence.

This quote is from "Murder on the Orient Express" (1934).

Answer: Holmes

The remainder of Holmes' statement is "Very sorry to knock you up, Watson...but it's the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me, and I on you." In this context, Holmes means that somebody knocked at the door and woke Mrs Hudson up, causing her to wake up Holmes, who in turn awakened Watson. Context is important because "knocked up" in Victorian English usage had quite a different definition to the modern American meaning, which is to get a woman pregnant.

This quote comes from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", a short story from the collection, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes".

Answer: Poirot

Poirot says this to his old friend, Arthur Hastings, in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920). He is not referring to his friendship with Hastings but rather to Hastings' friendship with another character, who is suspected of the murder of Emily Inglethorp.

Answer: Poirot

In this quote from "Murder in Mesopotammia" (1936), Poirot is lamenting the fact that loyalty and social conventions, such as not speaking ill of the dead, can often interfere with the investigation of a crime.

The full quote is: "Do not make me the British cliches...Do not say it is not the cricket or the football, that to speak anything but well of the dead is not done - that - enfin - there is loyalty! Loyalty it is a pestilential thing in crime. Again and again it obscures the truth."

Answer: Holmes

In "A Scandal in Bohemia" (1891), Watson indicates he is baffled by Holmes' ability to correctly deduce the truth of a situation.

"I (Watson) could not help laughing at the ease with which he (Holmes) explained his process of deduction. "When I hear you give your reasons," I remarked, "the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours."

Holmes responds by asking Watson how many steps lead up from the hall to the room they are in. When Watson is unable to answer, Holmes tells him that this is because he sees but does not observe.

Answer: Poirot

Although this particular quote is from "The ABC Murders" (1936), Poirot frequently refers to "the little grey cells" (usually his own) throughout the 33 novels, 2 plays and 51 short stories in which he is featured. The little grey cells are the brain cells.