RAH-RAH SKIRT

noun Also written ra-ra skirt (Lifestyle and Leisure) (Youth Culture) A very short flounced skirt, similar in design to the type worn by American cheer-leaders. Etymology: So named because it is the type of skirt worn by a rah-rah girl or cheer-leader, who is herself named after the chorus of rah-rah-rah with which she cheers on her team. History and Usage: The rah-rah skirt came into fashion in 1982 as the first really successful attempt to revive the mini-skirt of the sixties, but its success was largely limited to a restricted clientele of slim teenage girls. The participation of British teams in the World League of American football, complete with their own teams of cheer-leaders, could perpetuate the fashion. For evening, the bomber jacket was worked in black satin and leather, with floaty chiffon ra-ra skirts. Daily Telegraph 19 Mar. 1991, p. 2