Bindle

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Two hobos walking along railroad tracks, after being put off a train. One is carrying a bindle.

Bindle (from German das Bündel = bundle, bale) is a term used to describe the bag, sack, or carrying device stereotypically used by the (commonly American) sub-culture of hobos. The person carrying a bindle was called a bindlestiff, combining bindle with the Average Joe sense of stiff (from German Steif = stiff, rigid).

In popular culture the bindle is portrayed as a stick with cloth or a blanket tied around one end for carrying items, with the entire array being carried over the shoulder. Particularly in cartoons, the bindles' sacks usually have a polka-dotted or bandanna design. However, in actual use the bindle can take many forms, such as a backpack or carrier bag attached to a stick, meaning that bindle is specifically a term to identify bags or carrying devices used by travellers.

An example of the stick-type bindle can be seen in the illustration entitled The Runaway created by Norman Rockwell which appears on the cover of the September 20, 1958 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.^[1]

Though bindles are rarely used anymore, bindles are still widely seen in popular culture as a prevalent anachronism.

In popular culture

In the 37th episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, entitled "Mac and Charlie Die", Mac and Charlie attempt to fill a bindle with multiple unnecessary items that do not fit in the stereotypical bandanna-sized bindle. The bindle is consistently used as a comedic gag until Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds arrives at Charlie's apartment. They confuse her for Mac's newly-paroled father, from whom they are trying to run away.

In the 156th episode of The Simpsons, entitled "The Homer They Fall", Homer is locked in a boxing match with a local hobo in which the hobo is constantly throwing punches, causing Lenny to exclaim that he only stops to check on his bindle. Also in episode 254 entitled "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", Nelson exclaims to Homer that they are dissecting hobos in biology class, and that he has the bindles to prove it.

Drug culture

The word bindle is also a street term that can be used to describe a small paper packet of drugs that varies in weight under one gram.^{[citation needed]}

Forensics

Bindle is also a term used in forensics. It is the name for a piece of paper folded to hold trace evidence - not to be confused with a pharmaceutical fold.^{[citation needed]}

Other cultures

In Australian history, a similar item is entitled a swag or swag bag, something usually carried by transients or traveling workmen. In French book culture, a Bindle is a newly-minted word for a book printed in a paper format and bound with a front cover and back cover. The trademarked word and logo is a humorous take-off on the newly-minted Amazon screening device called a Kindle.

References

1. ^ http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rockwell/rockwell_runaway.jpg.html

• Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men