Harry is a
Norwegian derogatory term used in slang, derived from the
English name
Harry.
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 ...
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 colo ...
. People in the lower social classes at the time often gave their children
English first names such as
Harry. 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,
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 lov ...
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 fashion the next year.
Harry may also be interpreted as something like
macho. The feminine parallel is ''doris''.
The term was repopularised by then Minister of Agriculture
Lars Sponheim in 2002 to describe Norwegians who drive (in some cases, for hours) to reach and cross the border to
Sweden 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
See also
* Bogan, Australian term
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