Banged Out

About

Banged Out is a British tradition that marks the completion of an apprenticeship or the retirement of an employee. The practice is particularly associated with printing rooms at national newspapers on Fleet Street, where the term "banging" refers to the sound created by colleagues striking metal furniture or machinery as the departing apprentice or retiree walks across the shop floor. The tradition evolved from an earlier practice in which apprentices were placed in a truck and doused with printers' ink, glue, and paper, a custom that continues in some companies today. Although printing operations have been outsourced from newspaper offices, the banging-out tradition for retirees has persisted in modern newsrooms, where colleagues now create the noise by hitting their desks instead of machinery.