Staff with a metal tip carried as a sign of office by e.g. a bailiff or constable.

Roget 965: jurisdiction, judicature, administration of justice, soc; executive, commission of the peace; magistracy etc. (authority) 737.    judge etc. 967; tribunal etc. 966; municipality, corporation, bailiwick, shrievalty [Brit.]; lord lieutenant, sheriff, shire reeve, shrieve^†, constable; selectman; police, police force, the fuzz [Sarc.]; constabulary, bumbledom^†, gendarmerie [Fr.].    officer, bailiff, tipstaff, bum-bailiff, catchpoll, beadle; policeman, cop [Coll.], police constable, police sergeant; sbirro^†, alguazil^†, gendarme, kavass^†, lictor^†, mace bearer, huissier [Fr.], bedel^†; tithingman^†.    press gang; exciseman^†, gauger, gager^†, customhouse officer, douanier [Fr.].    coroner, edile^†, aedile^†, portreeve^†, paritor^†; posse comitatus [Lat.].    bureau, cutcherry^†, department, secretariat.    [extension of jurisdiction] long arm of the law, extradition.    ... show more