# chav



## the babes

Hello all people out there we were just wondering if all foreign people understand the term "chav." Also if you could translate it into your own language it would be much appreciated. Loads of love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka The Babes.


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## VenusEnvy

What does this word mean to you? Can you give context?


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## asm

Do you want to know the meaning or are you just willing to know if the word is popular? I read it is used as a derrogative term for some young people. I do not know its meaning in Spanish since I am not familiar with the way it criticizes.



			
				the babes said:
			
		

> Hello all people out there we were just wondering if all foreign people understand the term "chav." Also if you could translate it into your own language it would be much appreciated. Loads of love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka The Babes.


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## Cath.S.

_chav = racaille = caillera_ in French.


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## Outsider

the babes said:
			
		

> Hello all people out there we were just wondering if all foreign people understand the term "chav."


I'd never seen or heard that word before in my life.


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## zebedee

Hello the babes,

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Secondly, maybe you'd like to read the forum guidelines before posting if you haven't read them already. 

This Forum is for Cultural Issues. If you'd like to know *the cultural background equivalent * to the term _chav_ in each country, you'll have to give a brief explanation as to what a _chav_ is.

If what you'd like is *a translation * for the word _chav_ you need to post in the other forums dedicated to each language. Please give a context  so that the people who volunteer to help you out know what the word means. (This is especially true when asking for a translation of slang words.) 

And finally, I invite you to have a look at the Members List where you'll see that the members of this forum come from all over the world. You'll find that, relatively speaking, for the vast majority of members, you're the "foreign people" not them. 



			
				 the babes said:
			
		

> we were just wondering if *all foreign people * understand the term "chav."



Regards,
zeb


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## ortiza

zebedee said:
			
		

> Hello the babes,
> 
> You'll find that, relatively speaking, for the vast majority of members, you're the "foreign people" not them.
> 
> Regards,
> zeb



Well said Zeb!!!


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## cuchuflete

Bravo Zebedee!

Ladies,
The forum guidelines also suggest using the Search feature.

I just typed "Chav" and this popped up:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showpost.php?p=113530&postcount=3

regards,
Cuchuflete


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## Asmodeo

I looked it up in a slang web dictionary*:

*Chav*: _Noun_. A person of working class origin, generally poorly educated, often very casually dressed in sportswear. _Derog_.

As a hispanic, I can tell you that every big city (Madrid, Mexico DF, Buenos Aires, Bogotá...) has its own particular slang, but _pelado_ or _pelagatos_ could be accurate common translations.

About the cultural aspect (the appropriate one in this sub-forum), there is nothing similar (at least not yet) to a "new ruling class" (as the Cuchu's web link tells). Maybe one day we'll import that "fashion".



*Sorry, but I cannot submit links yet.


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## cuchuflete

Hola Asmodeo,

Given the name of the website whose link I provided, I would not take their declaration that chav's are a 'ruling class' very seriously! We have an equivalent on this side of the puddle. They wear similar clothing and have their slang. This is no different from adolescents of any generation.

Un saludo,
Cuchu

PD- If the slang dictionary is the urban dictionary or any other, you may give the name and people will understand. ejemplo: urbandictionary dot com


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## Asmodeo

*1*.  peevish(dot)co(dot)uk/slang/

*2*. I've been thinking about it and I realized that the "chav fashion concept" was really invented in Madrid in the early 80's. We call it _cutre-lux_ (seedy-luxe) or _caspa-glamour_ (dandruff-glamour). It's a kind of kitsch style. Almodóvar's early films and the several pop music groups of those years are some examples.
So it comes 20 years later.

Anyway, if we'd have to find a famous precedent it would be *Andrew Warhol*.


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## the babes

We take offence at your comments. We were simply asking a question about a popular term used in England. We feel deeply upset that you could take what said "all foreign people" at offence. We did not mean to cause we just wanted to aquire about the term in different languages. By the way thank you to the few people who helped us with this term we gratefully appeciate it. Maybe other people should follow by your example. Thank you for time and we would appreciate any further help you can offer. Love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka the babes.


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## the babes

Thank you for your help, Asmodeo, you hav been truely helpful in our research and also indulging us with some interesting facts. In England the term chav (used as slang) refers to people who are not so keen on their apperance and think that it is important to fit in with their friends. They are not friendly and insist on causing trouble and rebelling against rules given to teenagers at this point in theirs lifes eg 16+. We would grateful if you would help us by identifying "kitsch style" as we do not understand this term. Love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka the babes


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## DDT

the babes said:
			
		

> We take offence at your comments. We were simply asking a question about a popular term used in England. We feel deeply upset that you could take what said "all foreign people" at offence. We did not mean to cause we just wanted to aquire about the term in different languages. By the way thank you to the few people who helped us with this term we gratefully appeciate it. Maybe other people should follow by your example. Thank you for time and we would appreciate any further help you can offer. Love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka the babes.



It is a fact you insist in not consulting the forum guidelines as my colleague suggested otherwise you would be aware of the fact that these pages are not meant to host personal attacks or comments as yours (please use the PM feature). Moreover linguistic questions don't concern this forum.
Some of your chatting and nearly insulting posts have been deleted, I invite you to refrain from being offensive.

Thanks,

DDT


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## the babes

I do not think i have made myself clear. I have given off the impression that the term chav which i wanted to know was for linguistic reasons. A "chav" is a cultural issue. I thought i would find out some interesting facts along he way. Although we have not disscussed the "chavs" this is a cultural issue as many would know who live or have visited England. Soory for any innapropiate behaviour. Love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka the babes


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## cuchuflete

the babes said:
			
		

> Hello all people out there we were just wondering if all foreign people understand the term "chav." Also if you could translate it into your own language it would be much appreciated. Loads of love Emma, Kathrynn and Becca aka The Babes.



To you three, or one, or whatever you may really be, I am a fine example of a "foreign people".  In my language, AE, a 'chav' is defined as follows:

Typical class of adolescent, not particularly rebellious, who chooses to join a large number of his/her fellow adolescents in adopting a form of dress and speech that are best appreciated by fellow adolescents.  Uniformity of dress and speech patterns suggest that these people will grow into "Archie Bunkers" or "Couch Potatoes".

What do you think Chavs will be like when they get to be forty years old?

regards,
Cuchuflete

PS- If you choose to take offense at being asked to read and abide by the forum rules, perhaps you would be best off in another forum.


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## Asmodeo

the babes said:
			
		

> We would grateful if you would help us by identifying "kitsch style" as we do not understand this term.


*KITSCH*: Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: _“When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch”_ (William H. Gass).

[from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]


There is a nice web page named *answers(dot)com*. Just type _kitsch_ into it to read much more information about it.


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## the babes

"Chavs" in Middlesbrough (were we live) are badly dressed and consistantly ask for money and ciggarettes who knows if they need it. in 40 years time we think that a "chav" will develop  into a lay-about and a couch-potatoe as stated by yourself. Are "Chavs" in other countries as bad as they are in Middlesbrough? and how do you think they will develop in later years for example an increase. Thank you asmodeo for your helpful advice on "kitsh style" Love Emma Kathrynn and Becca aka the babes


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## fetchezlavache

badly dressed ? what's that supposed to mean ? is there a way to be 'well dressed' ? according to which vestmental code ? yours i assume ? this doesn't make sense.

the word 'kitsch' could easily have been looked up, and found, in any dictionary, i'm sure you have one (or _three_) at hand.. 

i don't understand the purpose of this thread. you failed to express what a 'chav' is, yet ask to know if we have seen them around, in other places than middlesbrough... i suggest you revise your way of expressing yourself, it's very misleading, especially for 'foreigners'. and after two pages it's still obscure to me what you're after here.


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## Narda

Well guys, thank you!  Now I know what chav means.  Not that I will use it.

What would the world do without the working class??


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## mc_shambank

the word chav stands for cheltenham average i does not have anything to do with crim ... criminals have just got this word to their names


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## tvdxer

The rough equivalent of "Chav" in the United States is "white trash" or "trailer trash", but the two are by no means the same.  They both seem to occupy the same social stratum though.


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## anything

mc_shambank said:
			
		

> the word chav stands for cheltenham average i does not have anything to do with crim ... criminals have just got this word to their names


According to Wikipedia, that is in fact a "false etymology"...

_Many folk etymologies have sprung up to explain the origins of the word. These include humorous backronyms, such as "Council Housed And Violent". Another commonly cited false etymology derives the word from Cheltenham Ladies' College._

From the same article:

_Sources disagree on the origin of the word. The Collins English Dictionary suggests that it derives from a distortion of the Anglo-Romany word *chavi* meaning "child"._

This is the one that seems most likely to me, and it would appear to have the same root as the Spanish word "chaval", which (according to the Spanish Royal Academy's dictionary) comes from Caló, Spanish gypsy language.

(By the way, having the nick "the babes" and finishing posts with "Love....aka the babes" in a serious forum about languages, seems like a good example of chavishness to me. )


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