Originally Posted by Vicky8675309:
“I'm not from the UK and don't really know what "chav" means. I looked it up and wiki says: "Chav (/ˈtʃæv/ chav) is a pejorative epithet used in Britain to describe a particular stereotype.[1][2] The word was popularised in the first decade of the 21st century by the British mass media to refer to an anti-social youth subculture in the United Kingdom.[3] The Oxford English Dictionary defines "chav" as an informal British derogatory, meaning "a young lower-class person who displays brash and loutish behaviour and wears real or imitation designer clothes"
I don't get the "antisocial" part since it seems like people who are being called "chavs" are social....or does it just mean they are anti-social with non-chavs. Urban dictionary didn't help much.
I see the term "chav" used with Scotty T type people so it makes me think of young, dumb, partiers who just care about clothes, parties, sex and fame. Is that correct? Also is "chav" an offensive insult?
I think I have figured out some of the UK terms, like "mug", "muggin", and "pied" (all seem like they mean "blowing me off" or "making me look like a fool") but chav still confuses me.”
Oh its definitely offensive, you wouldn't say it mildly to someone to say they were a party type without them taking offensive.
It's used to basically explain poor/working class (from the north or council estates), male, youngsters that they think dress scruffy (sporty/cap-market type getup) and thus assume they are lager louts, heavy smokers, loud argumentative/swearing types, unemployed and a social nuisance. Think of the London riots of 2011 youths and the way they were described and you get the idea.
It's definitely derogatory and people that use it merely feed its unnecessary popularity and existence.