What is a rubber?!?

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undecagon

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 7, 2011
592
3
Chicago, IL
No...not that.....
I'm reading Sherlock Holmes: The Red-Headed League, and Merryweather (The Bank owner) was complaining before they went to the bank that ""Still, I confess that I miss my rubber. It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I have not had my rubber." "
At first I thought it might be a pipe. But later, in the bank cellar, Holmes explains: "I am afraid so. I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket, and I thought that, as we were a partie carry,you might have your rubber after all. But I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so far that we cannot risk the presence of a light."
So, clearly the rubber is something that provides light. Seems like it could be a pipe (although I think it'd be rather hard to play cards via pipe light....) and then I thought if Holmes had ANTICIPATED the rubber, and they left from Baker Street, why didn't he grab one of his own from his house? It must not be a pipe as he had his fair share of those in the apartment.
So....I'm left guessing, What is a rubber?

 

wallbright

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 22, 2010
845
2
I believe he might be referring to rubber bridge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_bridge
"Rubber bridge is a form of contract bridge and is played with four players. It is most often played for fun but is also played seriously for money. Rubber Bridge involves a high degree of skill but there is also a fair amount of luck involved in who gets the best cards."
And a light would be required to see the card game on the ground or wherever.

 

philip

Lifer
Oct 13, 2011
1,705
6
Puget Sound
rub·ber2  

noun

1.

(in certain card games, as bridge and whist)

2.

a series or round played until one sidereaches a specific score or wins a specific number of hands.

3.

a series consisting of an odd number of games won by the side winning the majority, usually two out of three.

4.

the deciding game in such a series.

adjective

5.

Also called rubber match. Sports . noting a deciding contest between two opponents who have previously won the same number of contests from each other.

from dictionary.reference.com

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,150
32,939
Detroit
It refers to cards. Holmes says "I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket, and I thought that, as we were a partie carry,you might have your rubber after all."

"Rubber", in this context, refers to the cards. Then he says, "But I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so far that we cannot risk the presence of a light." This refers to the activity going on in the first sentence, the card game.

 
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