The Curious Incident of the <blank> in the Night-time

Cafe Society
1

I recently finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) by Mark Haddon… an excellent book that I enjoyed very much.

I am now reading Guards! Guards! (1989) by Terry Pratchett, wherein there is a sentence that says… the curious incident of the Orangutan in the night-time.

Is this…

a) a commonly used phrase that I was heretofore unaware of?
b) a obscure nod by Haddon to Mr. Pratchett?
c) a coincidence?
d) none of the above?

2

They’re both referring to a Sherlock Holmes story - I forget which one.

3

It’s a reference to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

I don’t remember exactly which story, but Mr. Holmes upbraids Watson for overlooking the significance of *The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime."

Watson says that he didn’t hear any dog during the night, and of course that’s Holmes’ point – that the culprit must have been a member of the household, because the dog didn’t raise an alarum.

4

It’s from Silver Blaze, and the sounding-board wasn’t Watson, but another character:

5

If I may elaborate on Larry Mudd 's post a little, the dog didn’t bark because…

Straker, the dead trainer who was actually behind the mysterious horse mutilations, was known to the dog, which tipped Holmes off that it was an inside job: negative evidence, if you like, and probably why the phrase has become so celebrated. The horse killed Straker, incidentally.

Of course, it was all Straker’s wife’s fault, since she had a “strong partiality for expensive dresses. I have no doubt that this woman had plunged him over head and ears in debt, and so led him into this miserable plot.” Mind you, Holmes was a misogynist.

6

As I recall, it wasn’t the wife’s fault.

A demanding mistress was the reason Straker tried to sabotage the race. The wife did not recognise the dress when Holmes showed her the couturier’s bill at one point in the story.

7

[QUOTE=aankh]
As I recall, it wasn’t the wife’s fault.

Damn me, but you’re right:

“I {Holmes} at once concluded that Straker was leading a double life and keeping a second establishment. The nature of the bill showed that there was a lady in the case, and one who had expensive tastes.”

Holmes is still a misogynist, though.