History Main / SherlockCanRead

* Done rather hilariously in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'' when Amanda Waller manages to swiftly and easily answer The Riddler's quip about doors:

* ''Literature/TheThinkingMachine'': In "My First Experience with the Great Logician", Van Dusen performs a SherlockScan and is able to deduce his patient's name, address and profession; that he smokes; that he is wearing his clothes for the first time that winter; that he was widowed a few months earlier; that he kept house then; and that the house was infected with insects. After the narrator professes his astonishment, Van Dusen explains that the name, address, and occupation he got from the man's business card, which he read while he was unconscious. The other facts were actual deductions, however.
* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', when Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect find themselves aboard the starship ''Heart of Gold'', Ford comments "I think this ship's brand new, Arthur." Arthur replies "How can you tell? Have you got some exotic device for measuring the age of metal?" "No," Ford says, "I just found this sales brochure lying on the floor."

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'', Granny is called in to investigate a haunting at the White House. She apparently recognizes [[{{VicePresidentWho}} the Vice-President]], but, when he asks how, she admits that she read his name tag, which just said: "Hello, I'm Vice-President Obsequious."

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Subverted in "The Blind Banker". When Sherlock mentions to an acquaintance that said man has been around the world twice in two months, he scoffs and asks if he deduced it from his shoes. Sherlock says he was just chatting with his secretary. Later, Watson asks him how he really knew, since he didn't talk to the secretary. Sherlock answers he deduced everything from the man's watch and just wanted to screw with him.

-->'''Agent 1:''' Can you tell us where she is, Mr. Topp?
-->'''Brian:''' How do you know my name?
-->'''Agent 1:''' It's written on the doorbell.
-->'''Brian:''' ...Alright.
-->'''Agent 2:''' Where is she, Brian?
-->'''Brian:''' [[INeverToldYouMyName ..."Brian" isn't on the doorbell.]]

[[/folder]]

* ''Series/SesameStreet'': The LP ''Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert'' has a track called "The Listening Game." Ernie blindfolds Bert and has him guess what certain sounds are. First Bert guesses a ticking alarm clock, and the sound it makes when Ernie winds it. Then Bert guesses a vacuum cleaner, and then a ping pong ball. When Bert guesses that Ernie is opening the cookie jar and eating a cookie, Cookie Monster comes into the apartment (from somewhere outside). Bert guesses that Cookie Monster had eaten the cookies, the cookie jar, the ping pong ball, the vacuuum cleaner, the alarm clock, run out the door, ridden away on his motorcycle, and crashed into a truckload of chickens.

* ''Series/SesameStreet'': The LP ''Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert'' has a track called "The Listening Game." Ernie blindfolds Bert and has him guess what certain sounds are. First Bert guesses a ticking alarm clock, and the sound it makes when Ernie winds it. Then Bert guesses a vacuum cleaner, and then a ping pong ball. When Bert guesses that Ernie is opening the cookie jar and eating a cookie, Cookie Monster comes into the apartment (from somewhere outside). Bert guess that Cookie Monster had eaten everything that Bert had just named, run out the door, ridden away on his motorcycle, and crashed into a truckload of chickens.

* ''Series/SesameStreet'': The LP ''Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert'' has a track called "The Listening Game." Ernie blindfolds Bert and has him guess what certain sounds are. First Bert guesses a ticking alarm clock, and the sound it makes when Ernie winds it. Then Bert guesses a vacuum cleaner, and then a ping pong ball. When Bert guesses that Ernie is opening the cookie jar and eating a cookie, Cookie Monster comes into the apartment (from somewhere outside), eats everything that Bert had just named, runs out the door, rides away on his motorcycle, and crashes into a truckload of chickens.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In one of Adam's early forays into the field, he asks Danny a question about the victim as they approach the scene. Danny says the man fell from somewhere between the 6th and 10th floors but adds that if Adam had read the autopsy report, he would've already known that.

-->'''Ryan:''' It's a Matisse.\\
'''Walter:''' You studied the French masters too?\\

* Out on an Indian reservation, a white motorist comes across a Native American lying on the road with his ear pressed to the ground. The motorist stops and gets out of his car, calling to the Native American, "Hey man, are you alright?". The Indian replies, "Shush! There is... a yellow 1985 Jeep Explorer, currently driving 30mph about three miles west of here, whose tires badly need rotating. The driver is a 30-year old Cherokee named Sam, from the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Sitting next to him is his girlfriend, 27-year old woman whose name is Frances but goes by Fran. She is three months pregnant." The white motorist asks, astonished, "You know all that from listening to the vibrations in the ground?" The Indian looks up and says, "No, they chucked me out here about ten minutes ago."

* In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', Cheery told Vimes that he smokes Pantweed's Slim Panatellas - not through alchemical expertise, but by reading the packet on Vimes' desk.

* In ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'', Miss Level is astonished that Tiffany knows she once performed in a circus mind-reading act, until Tiffany reminds her she keeps the circus poster hanging in her hallway.
* In "The Adventure of the Yellow Face", Literature/SherlockHolmes stuns the client of the day by giving his name before he'd introduced himself.
--> '''Holmes:''' My dear Mr. Grant Munro--\\
'''Munro:''' What! You know my name?\\
'''Holmes:''' If you wish to preserve your incognito, I would suggest that you cease to write your name upon the lining of your hat, or else that you turn the crown towards the person you are addressing.

--> '''Agent 1:''' Can you tell us where she is, Mr. Topp?
--> '''Brian:''' How do you know my name?
--> '''Agent 1:''' It's written on the doorbell.
--> '''Brian:''' ...Alright.
--> '''Agent 2:''' Where is she, Brian?
--> '''Brian:''' [[INeverToldYouMyName ..."Brian" isn't on the doorbell.]]

* A variation from 'Sherlock's' perspective occurs in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''. Claudia learns that Edigio Troche might be an asset to Ezio's mission when the man visits the brothel she runs (and Ezio owns). Later, when Edigio is complaining to Ezio about his financial difficulties, Ezio brings up that he spends money on whoring. Edigio is impressed and Ezio lets him believe he performed a SherlockScan.

--> '''Police Chief:''' The press. How did you know something was happening here?\\

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'': Splinter reveals to the Turtles that the [[BaseOnWheels Technodrome]] has returned and is smashing everything in its path. They're shocked how he knows this. Was it a [[{{Seers}} mystic revelation?]] He tells them, no, he saw it on the 5:00 news.

* In ''Literature/TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', when Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect find themselves aboard the starship ''Heart of Gold'', Ford comments "I think this ship's brand new, Arthur." Arthur replies "How can you tell? Have you got some exotic device for measuring the age of metal?" "No," Ford says, "I just found this sales brochure lying on the floor."

Sometimes, Watson gasps in shock that Holmes instantly deduced some secret. But Holmes didn't correlate a thousand minutia to get his answer -- he just read it on something.

[[folder: Jokes]]

** He gets called out on this in "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty," when he once again identifies a complete stranger by name. At first the man is startled, but then he realizes that Holmes has simply read the monogram on his pocket watch. "For a moment I thought you'd done something clever."

* ''Series/Sherlock'': Subverted in "The Blind Banker". When Sherlock mentions to an acquaintance that said man has been around the world twice in two months, he scoffs and asks if he deduced it from his shoes. Sherlock says he was just chatting with his secretary. Later, Watson asks him how he really knew, since he didn't talk to the secretary. Sherlock answers he deduced everything from the man's watch and just wanted to screw with him.

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', where Dr. Facilier "deduces" Naveen's identity from a palm-reading, while Lawrence looks in the bad doctor's back pocket and cynically notes the newspaper there. Given that Facilier really ''does'' consort with supernatural forces, it's [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane ambiguous]] whether this trope was played straight or not.