A person who travels by standing on the side of the road and asking drivers for free rides.
From 'hitch' (to fasten or obtain) plus 'hike' (a journey on foot), combined as 'hitchhike' in the early 20th century. The practice exploded during the Great Depression.
Hitchhiking was completely normal and safe in the 1960s and 70s, with millions of people doing it annually, but it disappeared due to fear created partly by media coverage of rare incidents—showing how perception shapes culture.
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