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Hooray Henry

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Hooray Henry'?

A loud-mouthed but ineffectual upper class fool.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Hooray Henry'?

This sounds very much like a phrase of British origin – possibly from the pen of P. G. Wodehouse. In fact it’s an American phrase, coined by Damon Runyon. In a piece for a 1936 edition of Collier’s Weekly, Runyon wrote:

“He is without doubt strictly a Hoorah Henry, and he is generally figured as nothing but a lob as far as ever doing anything useful in this world is concerned.”

See also – Sloane Ranger.

See other phrases that were coined in the USA.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Hooray Henry

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