The Strand

Definition: the land bordering a body of water

Strand Bookstore in NYC

(Credit: Wikipedia user Postdlf)

In Old English, “strond” meant the edge of a river.

This is used in quite a few contexts. “The strand” refers to a general place relative to water, I think. But “The Strand” as a proper noun is used to refer to several specific places. Additionally, “The Strand” has been used in many commercial contexts.

A few of many examples:

• The Strand is a major street in London, so-named because it originally ran along the Thames
• Strand Bookstore is a large bookstore in New York City, named after the London street (it is colloquially known as “The Strand”)
• The Strand Ballroom and Theater in Rhode Island (it’s near a river, though not directly on it)
• The Strand Theater in Georgia (it’s nowhere near a river)
• The Strand House restaurant in California (a couple blocks from the beach)

Why I Looked It Up

I had known of the bookstore for years, and I had some vague memory of the London street.

I found this in The Prize:

Britain’s oil war was thereafter run out of Shell-Mex house on the Strand in London…

That got me thinking that there was some more general concept to “strand.”