a (bumbling) sidekick
特に変わった名詞ではありませんが、そして普通名詞ですが、Holmesの「相棒」「親友」あるいは「助手的存在」であるDr. Watsonはa sidekickと表現されることがあります。英英辞典では

a person who helps another more important or more intelligent person.(OALD)

とありますから、助手的、脇役的意味合いが強いようです。
実際にはなくてはならない役割ですので、 同僚、親友、協力者という上下の関係がない存在であれば、

an associateとかa partner

がよいように思います。

Watson, Holmes’ sidekick/associate/partner, is a medical doctor. He is also the narrator of the stories.

Robin is Batman’s sidekick.

「どじな探偵さん(You are such a bumbling detective/(private) eye.)」というせりふが「探偵物語」という日本映画でも使われました。「どじな相棒」は、

a bumbling sidekick

です。He is a stupid sidekick.というよりも柔らかくて滑稽に聞こえます。



参考までに、「初歩だよ。ワトソン君」の”Elementary, my dear Watson.”は、Conan DoyleのSherlock Holmesの本には出て来ないせりふだそうです。
The Phrase Finder: Elementary,my dear Watson: One of the best known phrases that Sherlock Holmes never said.

(In fact the line doesn't appear in the Conan Doyle books, only later in Sherlock Holmes' films.
He does come rather close at a few of points. Holmes says "Elementary" in 'The Crooked Man', and "It was very superficial, my dear Watson, I assure you" in 'The Cardboard Box'. He also says "Exactly, my dear Watson, in three different stories.)

Elementary, my dear Watsonについて、 mixiのサイトで、次のようなおもしろいデータがあります。( [11] mixiユーザー 05月04日 04:08 )

「コンコーダンス検索をかけてみると、ホームズ物語の全シリーズ中、"Elementary" という単語は8回登場するようです(すべてホームズ自身が言ったか書いたかした言葉なのが面白いですね)。
このうちここで話題になっているような使い方は、上で挙げられている例も含めて、以下の4つ:

▼花婿失踪事件(『シャーロック・ホームズの冒険』)
"All this is amusing, though rather elementary (.) "
「いささか初歩的なきらいはあるが、こう拾い上げてみると、なかなか面白いね」

▼背の曲った男(『シャーロック・ホームズの思い出』)
"Excellent!" I cried.
"Elementary," said he.
「おみごと!」
「なに、初歩さ」

▼バスカヴィル家の犬
"Interesting, though elementary (.)"
「ふむ、おもしろいな。いささか初歩的だけれど」

▼フランシス・カーファクス姫の失踪(『シャーロック・ホームズ 最後の挨拶』)
"It belongs to the same elementary class of deduction (.)"
「まったく初歩の推理にすぎないのだよ」

上で張ってくださっているリンク先でも紹介されていましたが、"superficial" という単語だと流布しているのに近い形のせりふがあります。

▼ボール箱(『シャーロック・ホームズ 最後の挨拶』) 「なあに、きわめて浅薄なことだよ」

で、"my dear Watson"は、上の例のように訳さないか、訳す場合にはたいてい「ワトソン君」のようですね。

▼黒ピーター(『シャーロック・ホームズの帰還』)
"There can be no question, my dear Watson, of the value of exercise before break-fast."
「やっぱり朝飯まえの運動はすばらしく効果的だね、ワトソン君」

訳は新潮文庫版より。古いトピックへの書き込みですみません。」


この件については、 Today I Fount Outで詳しく書かれています。

So where did the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” come from? Well the first known, or at least recorded use of the phrase was in the 1915 novel, Psmith, Journalist written by P.G. Wodehouse. We should point out that the book in no way shape or form stars Sherlock Holmes (in fact, the Sherlock Holmes stories were still being published at this point). We should also point out that, though Psmith, Journalist was published as a novel in 1915, it was a serial before that, putting the date of the first known usage of the phrase as 1909. The exact first known instance of the “Elementary, my dear Watson”, which appears in that work is as follows:

“I fancy,” said Psmith, “that this is one of those moments when it is necessary for me to unlimber my Sherlock Holmes system. As thus. If the rent collector had been there, it is certain, I think, that Comrade Spaghetti, or whatever you said his name was, wouldn’t have been. That is to say, if the rent collector had called and found no money waiting for him, surely Comrade Spaghetti would have been out in the cold night instead of under his own roof-tree. Do you follow me, Comrade Maloney?” “That’s right,” said Billy Windsor. “Of course.” “Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary,” murmured Psmith.

Wodehouse’s work was noted to have taken obvious cues from Doyle’s, as you probably guessed from the fact that Wodehouse ended up writing one of the most enduring quotes for a character he didn’t create.
So when was the first time someone playing Sherlock Holmes actually said this? That isn’t completely clear. The first well documented actor playing Sherlock Holmes to use the phrase was one, Clive Brook in a 1929 film, The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/08/sherlock-holmes-never-said-elementary-dear-watson/


All rights reserved by Etsuo Kobayashi:October 5th, 2017

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