Inverness style rain cape

**James MacMillan** · 17th December 07, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

Add a tweed dearstalker and a pipe...

Now there's an idea!

Watson - The game's afoot!

**ccga3359** · 17th December 07, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by James MacMillan

Now there's an idea!

Watson - The game's afoot!

Noun
Singular
game
Plural
countable and uncountable; games

game (countable and uncountable; plural games)

(countable) A pursuit or activity with rules performed either alone or with others, for the purpose of entertainment.
Shall we play a game?
(in plural games) Sport played in a lesson at school.
(uncountable) Wild animals hunted for food.
The forest has plenty of game.
(countable) The entire being of an industry, activity or profession.
When it comes to making sales, John is the best in the game.

How the

can a game be a foot?

**Panache** · 17th December 07, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

How the

can a game be a foot?

Grant,

Have you considered that by "game" it is meant quarry? "The game is afoot" might be taken as akin to the "fox is running" therefore the hunter pursues.

This is how I have always understood the phrase.

Cheers

Jamie

**ccga3359** · 17th December 07, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Panache

Grant,

Have you considered that by "game" it is meant quarry? "The game is afoot" might be taken as akin to the "fox is running" therefore the hunter pursues.

This is how I have always understood the phrase.

Cheers

Jamie

So basically, as Jay is a hunter, you're saying that he should shoot himself in the foot

!

**James MacMillan** · 17th December 07, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

How the

can a game be a foot?

I seem to remember Basil Rathbone saying that in one of his movie's with friend Nigel......?

**Chef** · 17th December 07, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

How the

can a game be a foot?

Not "a foot", afoot. The word afoot can mean underway. Holmes' quote "the game is afoot" just meant the game had started. Holmes considered the tracking down of the perpetrator to be a most serious game.

**Panache** · 17th December 07, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Chef

Not "a foot", afoot. The word afoot can mean underway. Holmes' quote "the game is afoot" just meant the game had started. Holmes considered the tracking down of the perpetrator to be a most serious game.

Chef,

The I believe the phrase comes from Shakespeare's Henry V

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Doing a little online research it would seem that the original phrase dealt with pursuing a game animal in a hunting context. After Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adopted the phrase it would seem to have come to mean that a game had started with game indicating an intellectual pastime/deversion.

Sorry for taking your thread so far off topic James.

Cheers

Jamie

**James MacMillan** · 17th December 07, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Panache

Sorry for taking your thread so far off topic

Oh, who cares?

So - - Is someone saying that "The game's afoot." doesn't come from Holmes?

It just seems so right!

Sort-of like "Judy, Judy, Judy" for Carey Grant - which supposedly he never said?

**Sheep In Wolf's Clothing** · 17th December 07, 04:57 PM

Being a Sherlockian, (yes we do exist) I might be able to clear up (or maybe not) the use of the phrase. The phrase "The game is afoot" comes from Shakespeare's plays Henry IV Act 1 Scene 3 line 276 and it is also found in The life of Henry the Fifth Act III Scene 1 line 32. I can't remember the exact quote but it is a hunting reference "Set the hounds to the quarry the game is afoot!" Holmes used the line in the story "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange".

Sadly there are no kilts featured in the Sherlock Holmes stories, but there are a few Scots (not to mention thier author) in the stories, including the long suffering Mrs.Hudson! As well, it never mentions that Holmes wore a deerstalker cap or an Inverness cape, these were added to the character by artist Sidney Paget.

Sara
Who's books about Scottish history are only out numbered by her books about Mr.Sherlock Holmes

**starbkjrus** · 17th December 07, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by Chef

James I have two of Mister Antony's capes. The Standard in Black and an Ultimate in RAF blue. I highly recommend his wares.

I have one of the aforementioned capes that I bought at Geoffrey (Tailor) LTD. in Edinburgh this summer. I love it. I WANT a nice wool Inverness Cape but can't justify spending $1000.00 on one just now. The rain cape works for me at the moment.