chav
nounUS, UK /t͡ʃæv/
Etymology Origin uncertain; probably of Angloromani origin. Compare Romani chavi (“male child”) or ćhavo, shavo (“female child”), chal (“boy”), chavvy (“mate, friend”), compare Swedish tjej; possibly cognate with Portuguese chavalo, Spanish chaval, German Chabo, Russian чувак (čuvak), Hungarian csávó. See also charva. Derivations from council-housed and violent, Cheltenham average (and similar) are folk-etymological backronyms.
1
Ireland, UK, Derogatory, Offensive A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived "common" taste in clothing and lifestyle.
- Lyrical staff / Never could they ever take me for a chav / Scholar in the English, scholar in the Math / Dizzee ain't no riff raffa. 2009, Dizzee Rascal, “Creeper (Freestyle)”:
- His book concerns ‘chavs’, a supposed underclass of ill-educated, fast-breeding, violent and amoral poor people currently plaguing Britain.2011 June 18, “Giving the poor a good kicking”, in The Economist:
- Synonyms
70 terms
adlay, bam, Barry boy, bazza, benny, bogan, bopper, brush, charva, charver, chav, dobber, dresser, dumbo, eshay, gazza, gippo, herbert, hood rat, kev, knacker, mev, ned, nob, ocker, pikey, pleb, poor white trash, prole, puffy, radgie, redneck, roadman, rudeboy, rudie, scally, scanger, schemie, scobe, scoundrel, scratter, scrote, scrub, scrubber, scuffer, scumbag, scunner, scutter, sham, skanger, skeet, smackhead, smick, snoopy, spide, steek, stig, sweeper, thug, thugette, townie, trailer trash, trev, vic, Westie, white trash, wigger, yarco, yob, yobbo- Derived terms
- antichav, chavdom, chavish, chavism, chavness, chavster, chavtastic, chavvery, chavving, chavvy
- Related terms
- mush
- Hypernyms
- pauper, teenager, troublemaker, villain