Crossword Genius

Striking was usual when such staffs were employed (8,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whipping posts

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'usual when such staffs were employed' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'striking' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'striking' could be 'whipping' (whipping is a kind of striking) and 'whipping' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'posts' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'was' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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