The term "trick cyclist" is indeed slang for a psychiatrist. And the close caption wording for Sholto's comment does say trick cyclist as well.  John replies with,  "I go in now and then.  Sort of a top-up.  Therapy can be very helpful."

But I couldn't find out anything about the origin of the term.  If sounds just a tad derogatory, doesn't it?

Actually I always watch Sherlock with the close captioning turned on because the dialogThe term "trick cyclist" is indeed slang for a psychiatrist. And the close caption wording for Sholto's comment does say trick cyclist as well.  John replies with,  "I go in now and then.  Sort of a top-up.  Therapy can be very helpful."

But I couldn't find out anything about the origin of the term.  If sounds just a tad derogatory, doesn't it?
 
Actually, I always watch Sherlock with the close caption turned on, because the dialog goes flying by fast and furious, and those British phrases sometimes require a quick background check so I can figure out what the heck somebody just said -- and what it meant.

Last edited by Bruce Cook (January 27, 2014 6:13 pm)

It's certainly been in common use in England since at least WW2; I know people in the RAF used it as well as the Army.

Bruce Cook wrote:

 
Actually, I always watch Sherlock with the close caption turned on, because the dialog goes flying by fast and furious, and those British phrases sometimes require a quick background check so I can figure out what the heck somebody just said -- and what it meant.

I am glad I am not the only one who has this issue. First time around I even missed the whole discussion of how Sherlock taught John to dance "behind closed curtains," etc.

Yes, I think you're right.  Closer to "tricyclics" but I think that's it.
 

It seems that John used that term to make fun of the fact that he was in need of help and to show that he had no problem with that. Which I don't believe.
The use of this term can be called malapropism. Sometimes a person makes a mistake and uses a word that sounds similar but has a slightly different meaning. The number of syllables and the way the word is stressed is correct, but what comes out is funny or a bit revealing about the speaker himself. Or a person can do that deliberately which we see here.
Apparently Shakespeare was the first to do that in his plays.
I like the way the writers play with words.
 

The good transcript says "trick cyclist" and it's British slang for psychiatrist, so that's what he said, it seems.  

@scrapplecakes:
Unrelated but: common misconception about "Bow's Bells"... a true cockney is said to be born within hearing distance of "Bow bells" and refers to St Mary le Bow on Cheapside in the City, not the area of Bow in East London. Most people in this category in the 20th Century would have been born in St Bartholomews Hospital (Barts). Nowadays however there are very few residents in that part of the City.

At the point that the phrase probably came into use. Bow in East London would have been a villiage outside the "town" of London, let alone the City.