Chav?

Origins of the Word Chav. So where did it come from, the buzz word of 2004 that so perfectly describes a certain youth culture, chav? One explanation: 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. Having, at one point in my life, run a company from an office overlooking the main entrance to that College (and not so coincidentally been a habitue of a pub known to serve the sixth form) I find that entirely believable. A lingering remnant of those years is a slight frisson for girls in hockey skirts but less said the better eh? -------------------------------------------- This was from some blog.

Chav is a derogatory slang term in popular usage throughout England. It refers to a supposed subculture stereotyped as uneducated, uncultured and prone to antisocial or immoral behavior. The label is typically applied to teenagers and young adults of white working-class or lower-middle class origin. Chav is used for both sexes, but a male chav is sometimes referred to as a chavster and a female as a chavette. The term was first popularised by the Popbitch website and taken up enthusiastically by the tabloid press. Response to the term has ranged from acceptance to criticism that the term is a new manifestation of classism. -------------------------------------------------- this was from some pedia. A wiki one I think?

The word chav is commonly thought to be from the mid-19th century Romany word chavi, meaning "delinquent youth"; but some suggest it comes from a nickname used of people from various towns in England, including Chatham and Cheltenham, sometimes in conjunction with the class label Average. It is sometimes mockingly redefined as one of several backronyms, including "Council Housed And Violent", "Council House Assault & Violence", and "Council House Association Vermin" — although there is no etymological basis for these terms. It is also said that the word was used in Edinburgh, Scotland in the early 1990s, leading to widespread bemusement on the part of Edinburghers at the sudden popularity of the term in South-Eastern England. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This one's getting closer to unveiling the mysteries of chav.

Describes someone who wears Reebok or Adidas trainers, gold jewellery and is likely to be a shop lifter. Girl Chavs wear big gold hoop earrings and like pop music (as opposed to rock, metal, grunge etc.) , and shag around like dirty whores. ------------------------------------ but this one's my fave :)

Now what other boring shit might help me get to sleep........ JASPER!!?

From what I can see, Max the only real change is that the tans are fake now... bad news for sunbed salesmen everywhere.

Oh well, he'll do I suppose.

There's lots of theories about the origin of the word chav, all of which are probably bollocks. There used to be a less popular word "charver", which it might be a corruption of. My mate at work said it stood for "council housed and violent", which sounds like the work of an Observer writer. There's some confusion over whether it means "New Money, wealthy, vulgar, gold-chain, horrible-designer-gear wearing working-class oiks" or just simply "lowest-of-the-low-scum-with-no-like-beyond-wearing-a-hooded-top-smoking-the-odd-spliff-listening-to-rap-and-buying-a-spoiler-to-daddy-up-their-Corsa...bitterly and tragicly aspirational types, with anti-social bans pending". Go figure.

that what meant ...lol

Hi Maxwell I first heard the word Chavi or Chava used by the travellers that would come twice yearly with the local fairground during the sixties. Often shortened to Chav and as you note above, used to describe a rogue/fly boy in dealer boots. As the children would be required to attend the local school during their stay, the word quickly spread and took hold as a word of slightly shady romantic origin (at the age of six) that our parents wouldn't like and lent us a vague feeling of rakishness and camaraderie with these seemingly worldly kids. Not that this is a definitive answer! all the best L [%sig%]

Chav is derived from the Romany word for Boy. Romany > Gypsey > Traveller > Pikey, the association was a chinese whisper chain! The various Acronymns (Council Housed And Violent, Council House, Assault and Violence)are actually backcronymns.

That's really interesting, so perhaps as travellers settled into social housing and the traditions of wearing their wealth filtered into the immediate community, the word moved in meaning to a wider socially negative connotion, (yes, huge leap of assumptions here!) though it was used in the rogue context by the Romany children I played and grew up with, in those areas. Funny ol' world all the best L

i allways said chav was the too young cults one as goth and the other chav, chav is used to explain as (by other kids to others) yobish behavior is it not ?

Smiley and I had a brief discussion about chavs on some other thread...chavs are not-too-well-educated but upwardly mobile materialists, fake tans, lots of jewelery, etc.. I believe they replace the old 'track suit' culture of the mid 90s...

C hauvanistic H ooligans A nd V iscious S cumbags good eh

Nice try Max, but where did originate, who said it first? It's not an acronym of anything I can find.