UK Dopers: when did you first encounter the word "chav"?

[Colophon]

@Mangetout

Early 2000’s here, I think. Before that, I’d heard of ‘pikey’, but ‘cacker’ was far more common.

As I mention above, we had the word “acker” which may or may not be related.

Now I think back to my schooldays, I’m recalling loads of slang words that I’d forgotten about. An alternative to the verb “chav” (meaning “to steal”) was “tax” - as in “I taxed a Wham bar from the corner shop” (not that I ever did such a thing!) or simply “Tax!” when triumphantly holding aloft something you’d just nicked off an unsuspecting classmate.

Kids, eh?

By the way, I found this thread on uk.culture.language.english on Google Groups where someone else recalls the verb sense of “chav” from 20-odd years ago:

I knew the word “chav” as a schoolkid in the 80s, and it meant to steal.
E.g. “Who’s chavved my cola-flavoured rubber?”
Whether the two meanings are linked is open to question, but I think most
people believe that people who chav are pretty chavvy. ;o)

(Note to North Americans - a cola-flavoured rubber is not what you think it is…)

PS Whatever happened to those scented rubbers (erasers) you used to get? I remember they suddenly got banned at our school with no explanation… rumours abounded that either they were deadly poisonous, or you could get high by sniffing them, or that some kid had tried to eat one and choked to death!

[Galanthus]

I first encountered the word in Newark in the early 80’s when “Chav” and “Chavvie” just ment “Lad”. It was part of the local school slang.

[Mangetout]

@Colophon

PS Whatever happened to those scented rubbers (erasers) you used to get? I remember they suddenly got banned at our school with no explanation… rumours abounded that either they were deadly poisonous, or you could get high by sniffing them, or that some kid had tried to eat one and choked to death!

I had one that looked and smelled just like a chocolate swiss roll. It tasted like rubber though.

[Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party]

@GorillaMan

Late 90s in Manchester, ‘scally’ was almost identical to the current ‘chav’.

Yeah. Chav was always seen as being southern. They were called townies around here until the early 2000’s, when chav took over. Pikey always referred to gypsies, too.

[Barrington]

I’d never heard of “chavs” (or “chavving”) until about 2000. Nor “pikey” until pretty recently.

1960-born, East Yorkshire.

[Lust4Life]

@MarcusF

Around 2002 my kids started at secondary school and one of the groups at the school (I wouldn’t dignify them with the title “gangs”) was referred to as “Townies”. The Townies had all the characteristics now associated with Chavs - Burrberry, baseball caps, shell suits, none too bright, etc, - and it was soon after this I became aware of the media talking about Chavs and realised they were the same. This ties up with Little Britain starting on TV (Feb 2003) with Vicky Pollard The kids soon started using Chav and dropped Townie.

Called “Neds” in Scotland I believe.