Learn English – the American equivalent of a “backie”

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From Collins

informal Brit a ride on the back of someone's bicycle

And here the words backie or backy is listed as an "untranslatable", the blogger found no American equivalent.

The BBC have been known to use it, too:

Boris Johnson 'naughty' for giving wife backie on his bike

Of course, it could also be a "lift", but that sounds British to me and, more importantly, can be used with a car rather than a bike.

So, is there an American equivalent of a "backie"? Is it understandable to Americans? Or is there even a formal single word term in any version of English?

For context, I’d like to say something like "He gave his friend a [backie]"

More details on a "backie":

  • it’s done on a bicycle with no second seat. You can perch on a parcel shelf if there is one, but much more common is that the person who owns the bike stands on the pedals and the person getting the "backie" sits on the bike seats.

  • Some bikes are fitted with stunt pegs and the person getting the backie can stand on these if they’re available. More commonly, their legs are just splayed out to the sides.

  • According to the bbc link, it’s illegal. But children/teenagers do it regularly. I haven’t heard of anyone being prosecuted, but I don’t know what it would be called if they were.

  • I think there might be examples in Stephen King's "It" (book and Tim Curry TV version) there are occasions where 2 people ride on Silver, eg Bill and Eddie with Bill pedalling.

Best Answer

The expression we used in Texas when I was young was simply ride [or riding] double. Here are three instances of this usage in published writing:

From Edward Lessin, An Investigation of Primitive and Authority Beliefs in Children (1965):

Robert's mother told him that he should never ride double on his bicycle. One day his teacher, Mrs. Smith, talked to the class about bike safety. She said that it was safe to ride double if your bike has a rear passenger carrier. Mrs. Smith added that this was the only place where it is safe to ride double. Robert's bike has a rear passenger carrier. On the way home from school, Robert's friend, Greg, asked him for a ride on his bike. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF YOU WERE ROBERT?

From Chuck Steward, "Bicycling: Bicycle Laws and Riding Habits," in Boys' Life (September 1974):

Common sense hints include not fooling around on a bike. Tricks aren't for traffic. Other don'ts include not riding double (except on a proper tandem bicycle), and not hitching rides on other moving vehicles. Overloading a bike with too much camping gear or other equipment is another practice to avoid.

From Deanne Hurtubuise, Saints Alive!: Annie’s Very Own Miracle (2016):

My parents have rules about riding our bikes. Actually, they have rules about nearly everything at our house. The first rule is that we have to stay on the sidewalk. Second, we have to wear our helmets, and third, we never ride double with anyone on a bike. Normally, none of this poses a problem. We have sidewalks and even though I hate wearing the helmet, I do it. We all have bikes, so there is never a reason to ride double.

An informal expression for letting someone ride with you on your bike was "giving [someone] a ride"; but the descriptive term for two kids riding together on one bike was "riding double."

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