strippen

Strippen is a term found in Dutch and German with several distinct meanings, depending on context. In everyday Dutch, strippen is a verb meaning to strip off or peel in a broad sense, and it is especially known from the historical public-transport ticketing system around which the term strippenkaart is built. A strippenkaart consisted of multiple narrow paper strips; for each journey a rider would strip off or have a strip perforated to indicate usage. The system was widely used in the Netherlands in the mid-to-late 20th century and was gradually replaced by modern electronic tickets.

In Dutch usage the concept of stripping a strip is tied to the ticket card, but the verb also appears in other literal senses of removing thin strips of material or turning over layers, depending on the context.

In German, strippen is a colloquial verb with different applications. Technically, it is used to mean removing insulation from cables, a process more formally described as abisolieren. The word also appears in idiomatic expressions such as an den Strippen ziehen, meaning to pull the strings or to influence events behind the scenes. The noun Strippe refers to a cord or wire, and the verb form strippen can thus appear in both technical and figurative language.

Overall, strippen functions as a multilingual term with practical, historical, and idiomatic meanings, reflecting both literal acts of stripping and metaphorical forms of influence in German-speaking contexts.