chav

[tartanwiz]

What is a 'chav'? I've just seen it used on this site to describe guests on the TV programme 'Trisha'. Is it a latest English slang expression and where does it come from?

[Quizmonster]

Tartan, for a site dedicated to the phenomenon, click http://www.chavscum.co.uk/

[Quizmonster]

It occurs to me a little later that you might care to see what the noted lexicographer/etymologist, Michael Quinion, has to say on the word itself. Click http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-cha2
.htm

[woofgang]

be careful using it. Regionally it may still be associated with gypsies and seen as a perjorative term, requiring some vigorous ethnic re-education in the carpark

[spiff]

Just read the link from Quizmonster. In my neck of the woods (Carlisle), the word "chaver" pronounced "char-va" has always meant a boy/young man.It's been used here at least since my grandad was a kid (early 1900's) so that lends some credence to the romany word "chavi" meaning "child".

[number8]

You can't miss them - they have a uniform dress around the country, whether they be in Tunbridge Wells (my town) or Rochdale (recently visited - yuck). The men are all skinny and weedy, are usually accompained by a type of terrier, wear a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, underneath which is a baseball cap, usually fake Burberry, and lots of sovereign rings. In hot weather they insist on walking around bare chested. The girl chav is usually fat, accompanied by numerous kids from different fathers, wear lots of cheap gold and have their hair pulled up resulting in a "Croydon face lift", and they usally hang around outside Macdonalds and shopping centres (having picked their Giro up). The men have rat like features. When they talk they are very very loud. A very distateful breed. And breed they do. I am convinced there is a chav gene, whereby they only have to look at each other in order to produce offspring. And of course it is our hard earned that enables them to rely on benefits as opposed to working for a living, and their kids generally follow by example. Chav see chav do.

[thewillow]

I was interested to see the word 'skanger' on the www.chavscum.co.uk site. I thought this word was only used in Ireland. It must have escaped.

[sft42]

In our language TW Neds...you know...bottle of buckie in hand......one braincell shared between four....foulmouthed to everyone including their own kind.

Perhaps http://www.glasgowsurvival.co.uk/ will give you a rundown on the repugnant variety we have north of the border.

[tartanwiz]

Thanks everyone, I understand now. In Scotland we call them 'neds', and they drink Buckfast.

[Greedyfly]

Im in north Yorksa and a chav to me means: Scally, theif, trouble maker, skank etc...

[simontarling]

I think you'll find that a chav is someone who wears burberry caps with a nike shellsuit and reebok trainers . . wears a lot of sovereign gold and smokes the same named fags. Chavs are found mainly in council house areas thus taking the name "council house vermin" add an "a" in the middle (or if u prefer just say chv) and there you have it CHAV

[simontarling]

http://www.chavscum.co.uk/images/april2004/april02
0.jpg just in case you wonder what a "chav" drives . . . most hilarious

[Tat]

townies, pikeys (pikies?), neds, scallies (scallys?)

[MikeMikeMike]

Deans. Trevs. Is the trousers-in-socks phenomenon exclusive to East Yorkshire? Apparently it's so they can cut the bottoms out of their pockets and go thieving. A piece of clasic behaviour - a girl [possibly called Charlize Paradise Norris or something similar] pushing a pram filled with beer down a road after Englang lost the football to Argentina last year, dragging the child for whom the pram was stolen behind her. She stopped to speak to a friend, maybe Kylie Aston Martin Champagne Denby, and whilst comiserating the saddest day of both their lives, she brought a bottle of Archers out of the pram and gave it to the unwilling child, announcing 'come on, have some of this, it's a special day, in't it?'

[branchinghen]

i drank 3 bottles of buckfast on saturday in kelvingrove park.

[mark12]

The word "Chaver" has been used in the North East England for years. Im suprised the word "Chav" has become so popular, as if it was a new word or something!!