chav

Comes from the Geordie word "Charva" meaning a young person who wears tracksuits and jewelry while hanging around street corners acting hard.

Charva has been used in North East England for at least thirty years and perhaps even longer. Chav became popular in 2004 after being used to describe problem kids in the mainstream UK media.

The word Charva itself comes from the Romany word "Chavi" meaning child.

"It's Chava not Chav."

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