A matter of Victorian hat etiquette for those of you not in the know.
In the morgue when Watson is talking to Hooper… he ‘doffs’ his hat when he ‘outs’ her. (taking the hat off the top of his head slightly in a salute).
Please bear in mind that this was ONLY done to ladies. Men nodded to other gentlemen, never doffing hats at all – it would have been considered an outrage!
“Between gentlemen, an inclination of the head, a gesture of the hand,
or a mere touching of the hat is sufficient; but in bowing to a lady,
the hat must be lifted from the head.” (x)I grinned mightily in the cinema when I saw this 🙂
