Lots of people never read a Nancy Drew novel or would know who that is, but Sherlock Holmes is cultural shorthand. I would sort of say the reverse of this is the blonde joke.

U could say that when U R speaking 2 a woman, when applicable. R U writing a sitcom?

I think it's the alliteration that makes it appealing. And the crudeness.

How to turn silver into gold? Silence is golden, duct tape is silver.

Never thought about it. We always say “no shit Sherlock” and the response is usually “keep digging Watson” it’s no fun when the other person doesn’t say the second part.

"Get a clue Nancy Drew!" I LOVE that. Can I use it?

Watson, look up at the night sky and tell me what you notice.
Well, Holmes, it's a clear night. The moon's a waxing crescent. Mars is entering Scorpio. Bit of a damp breeze...
Watson, you idiot, someone stole our tent.

"The masculine derogatory statement" oh for fk sake - you're putting too much thought into this. It's a popular phrase that when used, most don't think about gender - they want to convey "duh". If I had grown up with Nancy Drew vs. Sherlock I would use it - but then you'd be on here whining about why we don't use Sherlock and are we gender profiling.

Of note, best thing about Sherlock references are the Watson follow ups— “No shit, Sherlock...” “Dig deeper, Watson.”

Well, Sherlock is a surname so you could have been referring to genderswapped or fan stories where Sherlock is a woman.

"Good observation, Sherlock!" I say to hiking partners when they spot something I didn't notice: wildflower, animal track, mountain goat high on a ridge, etc.

"No shit, Sherlock," is derogatory. It means they are stating the obvious. I never say that.

Interesting observation and I don't know!