Sherlock Holmes and The Sword of Osman (17 page)

Tigers. Either Holmes was being amusing or he did not know there are no tigers in Africa (except in the occasional zoo).

‘The toad beneath the harrow.' A proverbial saying for a sufferer, dating back to the 13
th
Century. A harrow is a heavy frame with spikes dragged across a field by horses or a tractor to cultivate the soil. Clearly a toad beneath it would not survive very long.

Tophane. A neighbourhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, taking its name from the Gun Foundry. It has a coastline with the Bosphorus. In the Ottoman era it was the city's oldest industrial zone.

Tussie-Mussie. From Queen Victoria's time when the small bouquets became a popular fashion accessory. Tussie-mussies include well-known floral symbolism from the language of flowers (e.g. Acacia blossom = hidden love), and therefore could be used to send a message to the recipient.

Verd-antique. Serpentinite breccia, popular since ancient times as a decorative facing stone. Dark, dull green, white-mottled (or white-veined) serpentine, mixed with calcite, dolomite, or magnesite, which takes a high polish.

Wardian case. Early type of terrarium, a sealed protective glass container for plants. Used in in the 19
th
century in protecting plants imported to Europe from overseas, most of which previously died from exposure on long sea journeys. Invented by Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in about 1829.

Wideawake. A type of hat with a broad brim made of black or brown felt. Rembrandt wore a style of wideawake in his 1632 self-portrait. Also known as a Quaker hat.

Yataghan. Type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16
th
to late 19
th
centuries.

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