What is the slang word for rich but uneducated people, especially those who live in rural areas and always like to show off?
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1Con men would call them marks– JimOct 23, 2013 at 5:10
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1@Jim They may be 'marks' (stupid, easy tagets) to con men. But that's besides the point.– KrisOct 23, 2013 at 6:27
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@Kris- I guess I needed to put a smiley on my comment. ;-)– JimOct 23, 2013 at 7:52
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I immediately thought of "Yuppie" and was surprised to find part of the definition to mean they were "college educated".– TK-421Nov 5, 2014 at 15:12
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3@TK-421 What? "Yuppie" is short for "young urban professional." Nothing to do with the OP's question.– dodgethesteamrollerNov 5, 2014 at 21:02
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4 Answers
The more genteel way of describing such people is to employ the French words 'nouveau riche'. At least that is what the educated class in Britain might call them. But if you want a slang term, one might be 'spiv', particularly applied as in 'spiv landlord'. But that has largely gone out of fashion. It is difficult to think of a universal term of any kind which might be used today. To denigrate such people would be seen as politically incorrect, almost tantamount to a form of racism. 'Hillbilly' is rarely used in Britain perhaps because such a social class never really existed. People who have expensive accoutrements, such as cars, but not much substance in education, might be called 'a bit flash'.
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wouldn't 'nouveau riche' refer more specifically to the nature by which they received their wealth and how they seem to wield it? I believe it shares some connotations but doesn't necessarily delve into educational stature. the term seems to mostly imply they did not inherit their wealth– user54818Oct 24, 2013 at 7:25
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1@jim It refers to people with newly-acquired wealth, but especially to those of that genre who are perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste. (Oxford Dictionary of English)– WS2Oct 25, 2013 at 19:43
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A spiv is someone who deals in black-market goods. Not necessarily rich or posh. They were common during war-time, when rationing was in force. dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/spiv– Paul RSep 25, 2022 at 21:25
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@PaulR I agree. But it has been more widely applied. When I was working as an accountant, I was advised not to join one particular company by an employment consultant - as he thought "they were a bit spivvish".– WS2Sep 26, 2022 at 6:36
Parvenu. It means a person from usually a low social position who has recently or suddenly become wealthy, powerful, or successful but who is not accepted by other wealthy, powerful, and successful people.
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Can you provide a reference for this? e.g., a listing in a dictionary? Apr 24, 2016 at 2:50
A big city person might call them a "Beverly hillbilly". If they aren't really rich but act like they are I hear "hillbilly rich" used - example is a person with a $40K car and $20K home.
Country folk might say they are "too big for their britches" or "high cotton".
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1There are rich hillbilly s and poor hillbilly s -- OP wants only the moneyed ones, the show-offs among them actually. :)– KrisOct 23, 2013 at 6:31
The journalist H.L. Mencken coined booboisie (a combination of boob and bourgeoisie) to characterized the uneducated and uncultured people he believed ran the US in the 1920s. While it is not exactly a well-known word today, I believe the word is evocative enough to make its meaning known in context with little help.
