Rah (slang)

Rah or yah is a pejorative term referring to a stereotypical affluent young upper class or upper-middle class person in the United Kingdom.[1] The term "rah" originated as a contraction of "Hoorah Henry" (sometimes "Hoorah Henries and Henriettas"), a pejorative description of a social stereotype similar to the Sloane Ranger stereotype also recognised in the UK, though a rah is generally younger, typically around university age (18–25), and less associated geographically with London. The use of the term is likely to have been furthered by onomatopoeic correlation with the way in which those fitting the stereotype are perceived to talk, with the word 'rah' being associated with upper-middle class affluence since at least the early 1980s.[2] An important feature of the rah stereotype is the enjoyment of an affluent/party lifestyle with excessive financial assistance from their parents.

At St Andrews and Edinburgh the term more frequently used is 'yah'.[3] The use of the term 'yah', similarly, is likely to have been furthered by a perceived and much-parodied upper-class pronunciation of the word 'year' in the phrase 'gap year'.

  1. ^ Tom Meltzer (2010-03-28). "The gap-year video spoof that went viral | Technology". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
  2. ^ "The Young Ones (episode 1 series 2) Bambi part 2". YouTube. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
  3. ^ "St Andrews: Home to the well-heeled student". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2000-08-17. Archived from the original on 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2019-07-28.