[Vocabulary] taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack

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tahasozgen

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Hi There;
I am reading the book "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle, and there is a sentence that I don't understand on page 43.

It was a quarter past nine when I started from home and made my way across the Park, and so through Oxford Street to Baker Street. Two hansoms were standing at the door, and, as I entered the passage, I heard the sound of voices from above. On entering his room I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one of whom I recognized as Peter Jones, the official police agent, while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock-coat.
“Ha! our party is complete,” said Holmes, buttoning up his pea-jacket, and taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack. “Watson, I think you know Mr. Jones, of Scotland Yard? Let me introduce you to Mr. Merryweather, who is to be our companion in to-night’s adventure.”

hunt: to search for something
crop: a plant such as a grain, fruit, or vegetable that is grown in large amounts by farmers
rack: a type of shelf that you can put things on or hang things from

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/)

What does "taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack" means at that context?
 

Rover_KE

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Scroll further down in the dictionary you consulted and you'll see that 'crop' can also mean

a short stick used to control a horse by hitting it.
 

tahasozgen

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If crop is a "short stick used to control a horse by hitting it", phrase "hunting crop" is meaningless. Is this crop being used only for hunting?
 

PeterCW

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If crop is a "short stick used to control a horse by hitting it", phrase "hunting crop" is meaningless. Is this crop being used only for hunting?

You must remember that these stories were written in the 1890s. For somebody of Conan Doyles' class in England at that time "hunting" specifically meant pursuing an animal on horseback with hounds.
 
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GoesStation

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But a hunting crop was a widely-known accessory carried by gentlemen of the era, whether or not they were planning to go hunting.
 

probus

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"Last edited by ... Reason: Fix tyoi".

Irony may not have died, but she was grievously wounded:-D
 
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