straphanger

[strap-hang-er]

See more synonyms for straphanger on Thesaurus.com

noun

a passenger who stands in a crowded bus or subway train and holds onto a strap or other support suspended from above.
any user of such public transportation.

Origin of straphanger

First recorded in 1900–05; strap + hanger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for straphanger

passenger, driver, traveler, cowboy, straphanger, gaucho, suburbanite

Examples from the Web for straphanger

Historical Examples of straphanger

Straphanger (in first-class compartment, to first-class passenger).
Mr. Punch's Life in London
Various

British Dictionary definitions for straphanger

straphanger

noun

informal a passenger in a bus, train, etc, who has to travel standing, esp by holding on to a strap

Derived Formsstraphanging, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for straphanger

also strap-hanger "bus or subway rider," 1905, from strap (n.) + hanger. In reference to the hanging straps in cars meant to be held on to by those without seats.