In a recent discussion on whether or not people in the U.K. dress much differently than those in the U.S., I learned a new word - "Chav," which comes complete with a website - http://www.chavscum.co.uk/howto.php. Kind of reminds me of people in the U.S. who still wear mullets. I'll try to remember not to wear my big chunky gold jewelry and printed t-shirts while in the U.K.

Ok, I bit. How is this pronounced and from what is it derived? Looks like they are making fun of those people who try to dress up like hip hop stars.

A chav is a cheap wannabe. Someone who wears Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci knock-offs, but acts like they're really posh. The kind of person who would walk into Prada on Sloane street, plop their fake Prada purse on the counter, and yell, "Oi, how 'bout some service?"

I have used the word in my previous posts.

That's no way to talk about MK2.

But it's usually used to mean the kind of people who would love to appear on Jerry Springer's show, and wouldn't be seen dead in Sloane Street (they've gone off Stamford Bridge nowadays, too). Much more downmarket - loads of labelled sportswear, hoop ear-rings and overly butch-looking dogs.

Derived from "Dav" editor of the Daily Mail who has a penchant for pages and pages of inane articles about chavs...

If you can't spot one my dear either you need new glasses or you might be one!

Just look for the Burberry baseball cap, and lots of bling.

Bitter,

According to LVSue, it's based on the Gypsy word for "child." Check out http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-cha2.htm for more details.

PatrickLondon - What's an "overly butch-looking" dog? Does he wear his Chav printed t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pack of fags stuck under one of them?

>In reality what they do look like are a bunch of ... pikeys! <

What's a pikey?


Loved the Burberry BBall cap.

Its literally a bit of a racial slur for Irish travellers in the UK. Don't ask me to explain its not worth getting into. Watch what was that film//lock stock and 2 smoking barrells??

There is a school of thought that rich people in real designer gear but with no taste can also be chavs - e.g. Victoria Beckham (footballer's wife), & Daniella Westbrook (ex soap star) as evidenced by the infamous mother & baby in top-to-toe Burberry photo.

Some pubs in the UK actually ban people wearing certain labels (e.g. Burberry, Aquascutum), whether genuine or not - because they are commonly worn by football hooligans & the like.

I heard the word 'chav' originally had something to do with people from Chatham, Kent ?

I thought Chav came from "Cheltenham Average"?

lots of conflicting views about its origin!

My dear, certain footballer's wives are chavs, people who shop Bond St. on a Saturday are also likely to have an high chav count...

good old google....

from The Telegraph (funny article) http://education.telegraph.co.uk/new...13/nchav13.xml

"So, who coined such a sneeringly useful term? Well, the pupils of Cheltenham Ladies College, apparently.

Rumour in the town has it that chav is derived from Cheltenham Average, the name given by the young ladies to the less-eligible young men of the town."

but the principal of the college was appalled at the suggestion that it derives from her well-bred "young ladies". She reckons it derives from chavi, the 19th century Romany word for child.

Another website says it stands for Council House And Violent!

Go to urbandictionary.com and put in chav. Endless entries, all hilarious.