This reminds me of one of the Sherlock Holmes stories (can't remember which it was right now). A visitor to Holmes finds him out, and after waiting a bit, leaves. But he leaves his walking stick behind, and when Holmes and Watson return, they speculate on the nature of their visitor.
Holmes observes that the stick is of the type known as a "Panang Lawyer", which has a large head that is lead filled. I've always thought that name was a wonderful euphemism for a cudgel!