# \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and Watson **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209 "2025-10-23T03:52:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/1 "2025-10-23T03:52:54Z")
Looking for famous people, real or fictional, with an assistant or partner named Watson. I can think of three: - Sherlock Holmes. - Francis Crick. - Alexander Graham Bell. Any others? It should meet the following criteria: It needs to be a fairly famous team, that a reasonably well educated person is likely to have heard of. Watson should be either the assistant, or an equal partner. He should be the second named in the team. No “Watson and \_\_\_\_\_\_” teams. It should be stated as a pair (or trio) of names, and not something like “the cast of Harry Potter”. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/2 "2025-10-23T04:01:04Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > It should be stated as a pair (or trio) of names… [Ken Jennings, Brad Rudder, and Watson on _Jeopardy!_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Watson#:~:text=The%20computer%20system%20was%20initially,prize%20of%20US$1%20million.) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/3 "2025-10-23T04:17:16Z")
> **[Dietz & Watson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietz_%26_Watson)** > > Dietz & Watson, Inc. is an American family-owned and operated preparer of delicatessen foods, founded in 1939 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in the production and distribution of deli meats, cheeses, and other specialty food products. > Dietz & Watson was founded by Gottlieb Dietz, a German sausage maker, who developed his skills while working at a meatpacking plant for almost two decades. In 1939, he purchased the Watson Meat Company and combined his name with Wa... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/4 "2025-10-23T04:23:29Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > He should be the second named in the team. No “Watson and \_\_\_\_\_\_” teams. I’ve always heard of Watson and Crick as Watson and Crick. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/5 "2025-10-23T06:40:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No “Watson and \_\_\_\_\_\_” teams. Aw, man! > **[Watson & Oliver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watson_%26_Oliver)** > > Watson & Oliver is a British sketch show starring Lorna Watson and Ingrid Oliver, known for their performances together at the Edinburgh Fringe. The show features a mixture of pre-recorded sketches and material performed in front of a studio audience. It was shown on BBC Two and BBC HD; the first series began on 20 February 2012. A second and final series started on 25 April 2013. > The programme was filmed in front of a live studio audience. It is a co-production between the BBC's in-house come... ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/6 "2025-10-23T11:25:46Z")
Sesame Street’s Sherlock Hemlock had a sidekick named Watson, who was a dog. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/7 "2025-10-23T11:28:12Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > It needs to be a fairly famous team, that a reasonably well educated person is likely to have heard of. Generations of math students know “Whittaker and Watson.” > **[A Course of Modern Analysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Course_of_Modern_Analysis)** > > A Course of Modern Analysis: an introduction to the general theory of infinite processes and of analytic functions; with an account of the principal transcendental functions (colloquially known as Whittaker and Watson) is a landmark textbook on mathematical analysis written by Edmund T. Whittaker and George N. Watson, first published by Cambridge University Press in 1915. The first edition was Whittaker's alone, but later editions were co-authored with Watson. > Its first, second, third, and t... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/8 "2025-10-23T12:18:55Z")
First name for me to fill in the blank upon seeing the OP title. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/9 "2025-10-23T13:07:09Z")
Agreed. IME/IMO always “Watson and Crick”, never the opposite. But … The relevant wiki ( **[Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_Structure_of_Nucleic_Acids:_A_Structure_for_Deoxyribose_Nucleic_Acid)**) cites them separately, but Crick first. OTOH, the original paper itself (**[Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid | Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/171737a0)**) shows the authorship w Watson first. Now Crick was English and Watson was American, so perhaps how they’re cited depends mostly on who’s doing the citing and where they’re from. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/10 "2025-10-23T13:27:35Z")
Oddly enough, there’s also a “Holmes and Watson” pairing in professional golf: > **[Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes team up for Zurich Classic – Zurich Classic of...](https://zurichgolfclassic.com/bubba-watson-and-j-b-holmes-team-up-for-zurich-classic/)** ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/11 "2025-10-23T16:56:26Z")
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson but that’s probably stretching it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/12 "2025-10-23T16:56:34Z")
On a related note, there are school districts named Madeira, and school districts named Watson, but apparently there does not exist any Madeira Watson Elementary. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/13 "2025-10-23T19:55:57Z")
Jouledaughter and Watson. I’ll let myself out… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/14 "2025-10-23T21:53:40Z")
Peter Parker and MJ Watson. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/15 "2025-10-23T22:00:24Z")
Watson Sr. and Watson Jr. (Thomas J. Watson, CEOs of IBM) led the company as a team for a few years prior to Watson Sr. retiring, but this fails the no “Watson and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_“ test. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2025, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/16 "2025-10-24T01:19:23Z")
vvv > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Watson should be either the assistant, or an equal partner. He should be the second named in the team. No “Watson and \_\_\_\_\_\_” teams. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’ve always heard of Watson and Crick as Watson and Crick. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Aw, man! A little clarification. “Watson and Crick” is acceptable because they are (AFAIK) equal partners in their work. “Watson and Oliver” works too. What I don’t want is “Watson and Smith” where Watson is the senior figure, and Smith the assistant. Also, I always heard “Crick and Watson”. Maybe it’s a British vs American thing. Not that it matters for this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2025, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-watson/1024209/17 "2025-10-24T21:35:29Z")
I’d always heard Watson & Crick. In light of their later careers, I’d always figured that Crick was the real brains. Mathematicians avoid this problem by _always_ listing joint authors alphabetically. Well, I know one exception but they are very rare.