# Help a yank, please. What is "Chav" in the UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240 "2006-01-30T18:49:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/1 "2006-01-30T18:49:33Z")
I’ve only encountered this term today, and don’t understand what it means. Is it something like “punk” culture? It’s getting discussed quite a bit in [this](http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/29/1732225) thread over on slashdot, but I’m still a little unsure of what “Chav” (or “a chav”) really means. Thanks in advance for your help. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/2 "2006-01-30T18:50:14Z")
The Burberry wearing underclass. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/3 "2006-01-30T19:24:34Z")
And? Burberry over here is an up market brand. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/4 "2006-01-30T19:25:36Z")
[http://www.chavscum.co.uk/](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/) is a good introduction. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/5 "2006-01-30T19:30:28Z")
Underclass? [Burberry](http://www.burberry.com/HomeUS.aspx) is a fairly pricey establishment. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/6 "2006-01-30T19:37:59Z")
I believe (although I could be wrong) your version of these are “Townies”. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/7 "2006-01-30T19:38:41Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Underclass? [Burberry](http://www.burberry.com/HomeUS.aspx) is a fairly pricey establishment. The [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav) article on chavs mentions Burberry’s reaction to the adoption of its style by the British underclass. I saw a TV article showing how the famous tartan has been removed from most new designs, presumably due to this association. This is apparent from the UK section of the website you have linked to. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/8 "2006-01-30T19:39:45Z")
Re. Burberry - it (or rather counterfeit copies) are definitely the preferred dress for chavs, and has become a tainted brand as a result. Prada and Rockport have suffered similar fates (some clubs have ‘no Prada shoes’ dress codes, to keep out troublemakers) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/9 "2006-01-30T19:46:11Z")
Thanks for that reference, **Jjimm**. Reading it, it seems to me that a Chav is someone of low education, poor taste, bad behaviour, and perhaps unemployed, but manages to find enough money to buy expensive (or knockoff) sportswear and gold jewelry. So, basically someone who dresses like a mafioso or a gangsta. A **townie** in the United States is someone who is native to a college town but has no connection to the college (i.e., university) and perhaps would never have been able to attend the college, either because of lack of funds or poor academic skills. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/10 "2006-01-30T19:46:14Z")
[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/04/chavmobile/](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/04/chavmobile/) - perhap the best example to demonstrate the status of the Burberry check ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/11 "2006-01-30T20:02:08Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > A **townie** in the United States is someone who is native to a college town but has no connection to the college (i.e., university) and perhaps would never have been able to attend the college, either because of lack of funds or poor academic skills. Ah, never mind then. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/12 "2006-01-30T20:09:54Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Thanks for that reference, **Jjimm**. Reading it, it seems to me that a Chav is someone of low education, poor taste, bad behaviour, and perhaps unemployed, but manages to find enough money to buy expensive (or knockoff) sportswear and gold jewelry. Think Long Island guido. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/13 "2006-01-30T20:26:33Z")
> [@Dominic Mulligan](#): > > The Burberry wearing underclass. In my extremely uninformed opinion, UK youth subcultures are much more into their “uniforms” than are those in the U.S. I mean, gangs and punks have their lists of appropriate attire, but you can hang with basically anyone without needing to look at them. Even goths seem to have less regularized appearance. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/14 "2006-01-30T20:49:47Z")
Except that “chav” is for the most part an insult, and until recently very few people would self-identify as one, or call this sort of clothing a “uniform”. (BTW my experience of visiting Texas as a teenager is almost the complete opposite of your opinion: that people seemed much more pigeonholed than where I was from.) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/15 "2006-01-30T20:58:46Z")
I’m with **jjimm** - perhaps on a brief encounter, it can appear that there’s just a few distinct groupings, but it’s much less regular and less fixed than that. Something else which I suppose should be mentioned is the link between chavs (especially the male variety) and unpleasant football supporters. Thankfully, Ipswich has a relatively-low chav following, but visiting supporters can be a sight to behold…Rotherham sticks in the mind, where the entire away section was a sea of Burberry-check caps. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/16 "2006-01-30T21:22:10Z")
I think the closest American term is “trash.” As in “trailer trash” / “trashy.” Like “trash,” “chav” can range from an insult to a badge of pride. Re: The Burberry thing… Burberry was once an upmarket brand in the UK. It still retains that association in the US, but has lost it in the UK, so even though the clothes are the same the reaction to them is quite different. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/17 "2006-01-30T21:36:00Z")
Not much help, but in Glasgow (I think generally across Scotland) they’re called ‘ **Neds** ’, instead. They dress in ‘trackies’ and end up looking like they’re wearing loose-fitting giant condoms (_that’s_ a phrase I doubt’s been said before). Their poison is [Buckfast Tonic Wine](http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=1646), a foul drink akin to turpentine with slightly more of an aftertaste. Probably worse for you, too! ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/18 "2006-01-30T23:48:14Z")
What is the difference between a chav and a hooded yob? From GorillaMan’s link they seem pretty similar. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/19 "2006-01-30T23:52:02Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > What is the difference between a chav and a hooded yob? From GorillaMan’s link they seem pretty similar. > [@pretend my name is witty](#): > > Not much help, but in Glasgow (I think generally across Scotland) they’re called ‘ **Neds** ’, instead. No difference, and they’ve tended to have various names in different parts of the country (‘scallies’ in the north). [Buckfast Tonic Wine](http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=1646), a foul drink akin to turpentine with slightly more of an aftertaste. Probably worse for you, too! [/QUOTE] That one’s as Scottish as Irn Bru - it’s cheap cider everywhere else! ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240/20 "2006-01-31T13:47:11Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Think Long Island guido. I was about to say the same thing; a UK equivalent of the New Jersey/Long Island/Philadelphia/Buffalo/Toronto Guido/Gino, only far more unruly. Guidos/Ginos tend to be on the friendly side, though, while I’m under the impression that Chavs are prone to random violence and bullying, like the “wilders” of New York City in the 1980s. If I was walking down the New Jersey shore, and a group of guidos was walking towards me, I wouldn’t have a fear in the world. If I was walking down some UK town high street, and chavs were coming towards me, I’d be a bit scared. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-yank-please-what-is-chav-in-the-uk/342240.md?page=2)