DCHP-3

hang a ralph

DCHP-3 (Apr 2025)

Spelling variants:
hang a Ralph

This term is, like hang a louie, a mostly American expression. While it can be occasionally heard in Canada, only hang a roger and hang a larry are Canadianisms by virtue of frequency and, most likely, origin. Most hits on the .com domain are from the US (see Chart 1).

Non-Canadianism

This is a word that our editors have determined is not a Canadianism.

expression — Informal

to turn right.

The .ca domain's hits are from reviews by customers located in the US (see Chart 1). See, also, the 1991 quotation that reports on the US currency of the expression at the time.

Quotations

1991
If we Canadians are using "hang a left" more often, we don't seem to have picked up some other bits of aging U.S. teenage slang. "Hang a louie" means to take a left turn and "hang a ralph" means to turn right.
2013
[It's a little hard to find, but don't let that discourage you. If you enter from Cap Highway, drive past the Jade Dragon restaurant and hang a ralph. It's on the balcony overlooking that steep back parking area with a shingle reading ART SUPPLIES. It's worth the search.]

Images

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 22 April 2025

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 22 April 2025