Harry is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

derogatory term used in slang, derived from the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

name

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. The best English translation may be "cheesy" or "tacky". '' Norsk ordbok'' defines "harry" as "tasteless, vulgar". The term "harry" was first used by

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...

youth in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

in the beginning of the 20th century and was used to describe people who belonged to the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

. People in the lower social classes at the time often gave their children

first names such as

. The middle and upper classes mostly preferred Scandinavian or German (and occasionally French) names. English names (except English names that are also widely found in other European languages) had no tradition in Scandinavia and were generally considered bad taste and as a phenomenon of the working-class of the time in all the Scandinavian countries. The traditional elite of Norway mostly used conservative Danish names. A person who is ''harry'' is often perceived as unsophisticated, vulgar or with bad taste. The effect of bad taste is often characterized with the term ''harry'', e.g. a ''harry'' dress or a ''harry'' car. Since the definition of good and bad taste is defined by fashion, there is no precise definition of ''harry''. D.D.E., Sputnik, shopping in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Raggare Raggare is a subculture found mostly in Sweden and parts of Norway and Finland, and to a lesser extent in Denmark, Germany, and Austria. Raggare are related to the American greaser and rockabilly subcultures and are known for their love of ...

culture and mullets are often mentioned today. In the 1970s, it was the 1960s hairwax or sharp shoes that were harry. In the 1980s, the 1970s flared pants or whiskers and in the 1990s, more or less everything that could be associated with the 1980s. Yesterday's fashion will often be interpreted as harry. Often what is harry in one period can be hip

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

fashion the next year. Harry may also be interpreted as something like

macho Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1930s and 1940s best defined as hav ...

. The feminine parallel is ''doris''. The term was repopularised by then Minister of Agriculture

Lars Sponheim Lars Sponheim (born 23 May 1957) is a Norwegian politician. He was leader of the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2010. He was a member of the Storting from 1993 to 2009, and a government minister from 1997 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005. He served as Co ...

in 2002 to describe Norwegians who drive (in some cases, for hours) to reach and cross the border to

in order to purchase groceries, tobacco, and alcohol at cheaper prices. Responses to this were retorts that seeking out bargains is smart shopping and Swedish shops introduced humorous campaigns with one shopkeeper giving 1000 SEK to customers named "Harry". The terms ''Harrytur'' ("Harry trip") or ''Harryhandel'' ("Harry trade") have since been popular descriptions of this trade.Harryhandel til halv pris
Dagbladet, February 16, 2009

References

Literature

* Kalvø, Are: ''Harry''. Det Norske Samlaget. {{ISBN, 82-521-5419-0 Class-related slurs Norwegian words and phrases Social class in Norway Stereotypes of the working class Working class in Europe

See also

References

Literature