Pillion

The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug", pillean, from the Latin pellis, "animal skin".

Following its retreat from the Battle of Dunkirk (where it is reputed that enough equipment was left behind to equip about eight to ten divisions), the British Army introduced a requirement that all officers up to the rank of colonel should be proficient in the use of the motorcycle, and all officers holding the rank of brigadier were required to be able to ride pillion.

The requirement for riding pillion was quietly dropped as large numbers of jeeps came into service in the middle of the war.

"Riding bitch" is a vulgar American expression to denote sitting between two other people in a car or truck, where the transmission housing often forms a hump in the front or back analogous to a pillion.

In Pakistan, for instance, pillion riding is often banned by local authorities around sensitive times, such as the Ashura commemoration, when there have been violent attacks on worshippers.