Lower-class youth with specific fashion style; British equivalent of “white trash”
Chav
Example Sentences
"He dresses like a chav."
"The park is full of chavs."
Etymology & History
British derogatory term for working-class youth with particular fashion/behavior. Possibly from Romani 'chavi' (child) or Chatham. 2000s moral panic term. Shows British class prejudice.
Word Details
📍
Region
General British
📅
Era
Contemporary
✓
Language
Mild
💬
Formality
Slang
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Anglotopia's Dictionary of British English 2nd Edition
British Slang from A to Zed
By Jonathan Thomas
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“C.H.A.V.” acronym:
Council-housed and violent. (British slang)
It’s a derogatory term used to describe a young woman who has no vocational ability or aspiration. Instead, choosing to pursue a promiscuous lifestyle (having multiple children to different (unknown) fathers -at a young age, and in a short period of time) to secure state-benefits and state-housing as an unwaged single mother. Usually having an anti-social behavior order (which precludes them from ever needing to seek future employment). Often seen as deplorable by the rest of society.