一词多义/熟词多义
1. [ credit]
在文中出现了两个credit，意思分别是“功劳”，“赞扬”。
常见意思是“信用，学分”。
1) 原句：“It would be taking your creditfor the case if I was to help you.
如果我帮你的话，恐怕会抢了你的功劳。
原句：You know a performer gets no creditwhen once he has explained his trick.
如你所知，一旦表演者解释了自己的花招，他就得不到赞扬。
2. [curb]
在文中是指“路边”，我们熟悉的意思是“控制”。
原句：Its wheels close to the curb.
3. [fashion]
在文中是指“样式”，常见意思是“时尚，潮流”。
原句：The Awas printed somewhat after the German fashion.
句子解析
With these two tools he walked noiselessly about the room, sometimes stopping, occasionally kneeling, and once lying flat upon his face.
Sherlock 拿出了两样工具，悄悄咪咪（普通话版悄无声息）地在房间里走来走去，有时候停下脚步，偶尔还屈膝跪地，还有一次直接整个人趴在地上。这里的stopping，kneeling，lying都是在修饰Sherlock的行为状态。Lying flat upon his face是指把脸贴在地板上来更好的观察~
“They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains,” he remarked with a smile.
人们都说天才通常是要承担天大的苦，大概就是“天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能”。这句话大家可以根据自己理解翻译成各种文风~
As I watched him, I was reminded of a pure-blooded well-trained foxhound as it ran backwards and forwards, being hidden, until it comes across the lost scent.
这里是在说华生看到卷福想起受过训练的猎狐犬，一直来回地嗅，直到发现猎物的踪迹气味才肯罢休。come across 在这是作为“发现，找到”的意思。
“There’s no room for a mistake,” he answered. …
从这一段开始Sherlock开始为Dr.Watson解释自己对凶手的判断，这里总结下Sherlock究竟是怎么判断的~关于交通工具：根据下雨时间和轮胎印杀手身高：脚印的步伐长度和墙上文字的高度杀手年龄和鞋子：根据花园小径水坑边的脚印判断（Leather boots这个人，也就是死者是绕过去的，square-toes这个人是跳过去的）杀手指甲：墙上文字留下的纹路杀手香烟品牌：烟灰（Sherlock对所有品牌香烟的烟灰都有研究）杀手的红脸蛋：暂时是大胆的猜测
I have Gregson’s word for that—it follows that it must have been there during the night.
据Gregson所说，这辆马车一定是昨天夜间在那里停留过。have one’s word有“据某人所说”之意。为什么马车一定是夜里在那儿停留过呢？Gregson说过，今早没有马车来过，所以车一定是在下雨之后，今早之前待在那儿的。故为：昨夜。
Up to last night, we have had no rain for a week, so that those wheels which left such a deep impression must have been there during the night.
截至昨夜，已经连续一周没有下雨。那么那些深深的车轮印，应该就是昨夜才有的。怎么推出来的呢？要留下车轮印，必须由雨打湿了地面，使之泥泞，然后车经过泥泞湿润的地面，形成印记。而昨夜才下过雨就有了车轮印，说明昨夜恰好有车来过。
“If a man can step four and a half feet without the smallest effort, he can’t be that old.”
如果一个人能毫不费力地跨出四尺半的步子，他不会很老的。without the smallest effort是“毫不费力”之意。这一段，福尔摩斯凭借步伐大小轻松推出罪犯的年龄区间。果然，他关注到大多数侦探都知道的细节，却有着精彩过人的解读。这里普及一下英尺与米
“The finger-nails and the Trichinopoly,” I suggested.
Trichinopoly本是特利支诺波利岛的意思，在这里是印度出产的一种雪茄名。
Surely you are not as sure as you pretend to be of all those details which you gave.
基于你给出的证据，（可以看出）你其实并没有装出来的那么确定。本句好几个Sure绕晕了大家。我们先来断句：Surely／you are not as sure as you pretend to be／of all those details (细节)which you gave.you are not as sure as you pretend to be（你并不像你装出来的那么确定）本句中的as sure as是as……as……的句型，指“像……一样……”。
As a matter of fact, my mind is entirely made up upon the case, but still we may as well learn all that is to be learned.
事实上，这桩案子我已经知道是怎么回事了。但我们仍然需要把该查的弄个明白。as a matter of fact（事实上）固定短语，相当于“in fact”。make up有“拿定主意”的意思。这里指，福尔摩斯心中已经对此案胸有成竹。as well在这里作“也”讲。learn all that is to be learned中is to be learned修饰all，表示”所有该被了解的事。”有没有感觉到，福尔摩斯好像在照顾好基友华生？所以带着他，继续验证猜测。
As to poor Lestrade’s discovery, it was simply a criminal intended to put the police upon a wrong track. It was not done by a German.
至于可怜的Lestrade的发现，这只是罪犯误导警方的恶作剧。那几个血字“RACHE”，根本不是德国人写的～as to，至于……；intend to，企图做某事，put sb. upon a wrong track，误导某人。Sherlock在后面提到了这样判断的理由，即A的写法，是按照德文的方法写的，但真正的德国人总是按照拉丁文字来写。德文的A写法是“Ä”，即A上会有两个小点，而拉丁文字是没有那两个小点的。所以Sherlock认为这是个非德国人拙劣的模仿。再次感叹，Sherlock好博学～
I’m not going to tell you much more of the case, Doctor. You know a performer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick, and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.
这是Sherlock在卖关子，他不想再透露他的套路了，就像魔术师一样，把trick都透露给观众的话，那他的表演也就平白无奇了。
今日短语
1. magnifying glass放大镜
2. remind of 想起
3. a little pile of grey dust 一堆尘埃
4. clear up解决
5. infinite capacity 无限的能力
6. take pains 费尽苦心
7. have something to do with sth与.......有关
8. in the meantime 与此同时
9. call on sb拜访某人
10. be in the prime of life 正值壮年
11. be likely to do sth可能做
12. be off duty 不值班
13. lose sb's time浪费时间
14. as a matter of fact事实上
15. may as well do sth 最好做
16. pretend to do sth假装做
17. nine cases out of ten 十之八九
18. at a glance 看一眼就
19. compel sb. to do sth 强迫某人做
20. above all首先
21. sum up 总结
22. make up one's mind拿定主意
23. in a spin手忙脚乱
24. put sb. upon a wrong track混乱某人思路