[prawn]

IME (Australia), the U was "upwardly-mobile" which I always took to mean someone ambitious, who dressed "for the job they want, rather than the job they have".

[defrost]

Also in Australia, by my recollection, Yuppie was a slur from the outset, there was no initial neutral period: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFOfd1QTW54