The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Version 4

by amiddle

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book, of which version 4.0 is a wholly remarkable excerpt from which, for copyright reasons, all Guide entries authored by field researchers other than amiddle811879, have been deleted.

38. Strags

Strags

In hitchhiker slang the term strag is used to identify a non-hitchhiker in a derisory fashion. In its broadest sense, strag is an abbreviation of the more commonly used term straggler, which is defined as:

1. One who strays or falls behind.

2. Those that proceed or spread out in a scattered or irregular group.

In essence, stragglers are the masses of the universe; those who are left behind; those who fail to live life in the fast lane, usually by relying upon public transport or local express routes. The term remains derisive in general parlance because a strag is likely to have low aspirations, keep his head down, does not attend decent parties, and does not want to get involved in whatever it is that the more exciting personalities of the galaxy get involved in. Sample strags include those who failed to escape Earth when the Vogons came, those employees of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation that won't run away just before the Revolution comes, and the entire population of the Golgafrincham B-Ark.

Strags are, in essence, those faceless members of galactic society who form part of the backdrop to a hitchhiker's adventures, but never get a starring role. Strags are seen commuting, filling large public spaces and dying in large numbers like a wave of suicidal lemmings whenever the plot calls for it.