Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a hanger-on; a suitor [dangle v. (2)].

1717		Cibber Non-Juror II i: I’m positive, if he had White Stockings he would cut down all the Danglers at Court in a Fortnight!
1726		C. Johnson Female Fortune-Teller Act I: Some assiduous well dress’d Dangler in my Equipage, that thou fanciest is in my Heart.
1749		Scots Mag. 1 Nov. 20/1: I’ve lovers and danglers, and praters good store; / And yet like a true woman, I still sigh for more.
1753		Dict. of Love n.p.: danglers An insipid tribe of triflers, with whom the women divert themselves, in perfect innocence, when they have nothing better to do. They are in a class of beings beneath their monkeys, parrots and lap-dogs.
1768		Cleland Woman of Honor III 194: If I remember right, he was one of your danglers, till you drove him from you.
1777		Garrick Country Girl III i: He’s a dangler after your sister.
1797		M. Leeson Memoirs (1965) III 129: He was a mean looking ugly old fellow, and the dirtiest wretch I ever sat in company with. He was one of my danglers for a time, but had no chance of pleasing me.
1827		Guards 60: Sir Lumbago Shuffleton Baronet, a beau of the old school. He was a scholar, a dangler, and a dancer.
1853		G.J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand (1890) 51: Preferring my society to that of all her other danglers.
1865		G.A. Sala My Diary in America II 424: They find that they are no longer surrounded by swarms of dandies and danglers.
1997		Share Slanguage.

2. one who follows women in the street but does not actually speak to them; a roué; a womanizer [dangle v. (2)].

1730, 1736		Bailey Dictionarium Britannicum n.p.: Dangler, so the Women in Contempt call a Man, who is always hanging after them, but never puts the Question home.
1781		Hicky’s Bengal Gaz. 28 Apr.-5 May n.p.: The Dangler [...] is content with merely admiring the woman to whom he attaches himself with his Eyes, [...] he neither wishes to possess their Persons nor to win their Hearts.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1824		J. Hogg Justified Sinner 11: ‘[A] heathenish man of Belial—a dangler among the daughters of women,—a promiscuous dancer,—and a player of unlawful games’.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 24: dangler A roué; a seducer.
1865		Western Times 8 Aug. 1/6: The Dangler [...] is consumed by a secret pasion for some fair one in a carriage. His friends speak to her, he boweth and standeth aloof [...] Being encouraged he can flirt; but soon subsideth into his normal dangling.

3. an effeminate male who prefers female company; the inference is of homosexuality .

1734		J. Gay Distress’d Wife II viii: lady willit.: (Reads.) A Dangler. One that passes his Time with the Ladies; who says nothing, does nothing, means nothing, and whom nothing is meant. It puts one in mind of Mr. Flutter.
1795		Sporting Mag. Apr. VI 43/2: The delicate dangler after the fair, who spends his whole time in giving himself an effeminate appearance, and distinguishes himself by feminine employments [...] who prefers a tete a tete with the silliest girl in the kingdom to the company of any of his own sex.

4. (UK Und.) any form of pendant jewellery, e.g. a watch fob, an earring.

1764		Bath Crhon. 5 Jan. 3/4: A Dangler is of neither sex, / A Creature born to tease and vex. / A Creature bred by intuition, / And satisfied without Fruition. [...] Ye Girls, that would this dangler shun, / Fly not —pursue him, and he’ll run; / Complying brings himn in a Scrape / But yield, and he cries out — A Rape.
1822		D. Carey Life in Paris 44: There are sharps in France [...] who are actively alive to the charms of the danglers and to all kinds of portable swag.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 28: dangler [...] Current amongst jewelry thieves and those who commit larceny from the person: A watch fob; an earring; a pendant; any article of Jewelry which swings free at one end.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 56/1: Dangler. 1. Any piece of jewelry that dangles free, as a watch-fob, earring, pendant, etc.

5. (US tramp) a tramp who travels via hanging on to the rails and similar handgrips beneath a passenger coach.

1916		‘A-No. 1’ Snare of the Road 32: ‘Danglers’ [...] suspend themselves from the rods upholding the coach bodies [...] or attach themselves to other hazardous holds beneath the passenger equipment.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl.

6. (US prison) one who is only just ‘hanging on’ to a job.

1926

Times Despatch (Richmond, VA) 17 Oct. 7/7: Dangler — One who is barely holding his job .

7. (Aus./US) an exhibitionist [SE dangle, v./dangle n.].

1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V x 443: Dangler, An exhibitionist.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 60: Dangler. – An exhibitionist.

8. (US) a thief [? he keeps one dangling in expectation of money].

1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 26: A crook wasn’t a regular hard-boiled underworld dangler unless he was addicted to drugs.
2002		Luniz ‘Dict.’ at luniz.com 🌐 Shista/Gaffla/Dangler: Theif [sic], Con Artist.

9. (US tramp) a freight train [the wagons ‘dangle’ behind the locomotive].

1929		‘Josphine Tey’ (as ‘Gordon Daviot’) Man in the Queue 31: ‘If any of my pals see me now, they'll all be boarding a dangler for Southampton inside five minutes and not waiting to pack’ .
1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 56/1: Dangler. [...] 2. A freight train.

10. (US gay/Aus.) a (large) penis.

1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 211: large cock [...] dangler.
1986		T. Winton That Eye, The Sky 52: Ort doesn’t have to ’cause he’s a boy, ’cause he’s got a dangler and I haven’t.

11. (US black) a businessman [? he keeps one dangling in expectation of money].

2002

Luniz ‘Dict.’ at luniz.com 🌐 Shista/Gaffla/Dangler: [...] Record Companies, Producers, Managers.