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Information about Straphanger

Straphanger is a nickname for a standing subway or bus passenger who grips a hanging strap (nowadays usually an overhead horizontal bar) for support. The name is thought to have originated in the late 1800s when elevated trains had leather straps for the passengers to hold on to.

More generally, it has come to refer to a commuter who uses public transportation:
But Lili (a dwarf elephant – ed.) weighs only seventy pounds and her tread would not affect a corn as much as that of the dudish strap-hanger whose equilibrium has been disturbed by the sudden jerk of a green gripman.
“No sane man,” said a North-sider yesterday who has been a strap-hanger for years, “expects the street car lines to furnish seats for every passenger during the rush hour morning and evening.”
When the offer of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company to build the underground railroad was published, the million strap-hangers were silent, inert, and helplessly contemplative.
  • "An imposing and formal man, Prescott Bush commuted for years to Grand Central Station, then rode down to Wall Street on the subway. 'He'd die now,' according to George's sister Nancy, 'with limos picking them up. He was a straphanger.'" — Andrew Delbanco, "Self-Remade Man," The New York Times review

Other definitions

Military Jargon

Primarily Army Special Forces and Airborne Infantry/Ranger units:
  • Military Meaning 1: A parachutist who volunteers to make a jump with a different platoon, team or group – he is said to “Strap Hang” on to the “stick” of Jumpers. The actual term “Strap Hang” is derived in this Military Airborne context because prior to exiting the aircraft, the line of jumpers (known as a “stick”) stands in a line, facing the paratroop door – with their “static line” hooked to an Anchor Line Cable running the length of the aircraft. They grip the static line in their hand and literally – hang on to it as the aircraft makes its way to the drop zone – thus the term “straphanger”. Essentially all the jumpers are straphangers – but the term is only applied to those who were added at the last minute to the jump manifest or who volunteered to jump, coming from a different unit.
  • Military Meaning 2: A person who is accepted by a Special Forces or Airborne Infantry/Ranger platoon or team into their closed circle of trusted friends and acquaintances, and is included as an honorary member of the group – mostly during social gatherings however.

Pejorative use

  • "Straphanger" is sometimes used to mean a person who benefits from the actions and exertions of someone else, with no efforts of their own; someone who is "just along for the ride".
  • In the military slang used by airborne units: airborne qualified personnel conducting an airborne operation with another unit.
  • In the central Down East region of Maine, straphanger has become an insult used against persons who are perceived as being "from away". The term is generally restricted to use by the lower social strata of the area.

Cultural influences

A film was made in 1922 called The Straphanger.

External links

rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service and grade separation from other traffic.
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bus is a large road vehicle designed to carry numerous passengers in addition to the driver and sometimes a conductor. The name is a neologic version of the Latin omnibus, which means "transport for everyone.
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For the periodical, see .
The 19th Century (also written XIX century) lasted from 1801 through 1900 in the Gregorian calendar. It is often referred to as the "1800s.
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Commuting is the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work. Students who are enrolled at a college or university but who live off-campus are also typically referred to as commuters; such institutions having few dormitories are called
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April 16 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
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February 22 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
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1893 1894 1895 - 1896 - 1897 1898 1899

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1775: American Revolution begins]]
  • 1775 - American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Lexington and Concord which began the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1809 - The army of Austria attacks and is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of

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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1860s  1870s  1880s  - 1890s -  1900s  1910s  1920s
1896 1897 1898 - 1899 - 1900 1901 1902

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Down East is a New England geographical term that is applied in several different ways.

In the narrowest sense, Down East refers to the coast of the U.S. state of Maine from Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border.
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State of Maine

Flag of Maine Seal
Nickname(s): The Pine Tree State
Motto(s): Dirigo

Official language(s) None
(English and French de facto)

Capital Augusta
Largest city Portland
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New York City Subway

Locale New York City
Transit type(s) Rapid transit
Began operation first section of subway: October 27, 1904
first elevated operation: July 3, 1868
first railroad operation: October 9, 1863[1]
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