London Slang

chav
n. s. or pl.

A derogatory term for people who have really bad taste and generally dress in a gaudy, embarrassing way. Easy ways to spot chav: fake Burberry, any kind of bling on a white person, exposed midriff that causes the viewer to cringe.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-cha2.htm

Editor's Note: This is definitely one of my favorite British slang terms. I encountered a very large number of chav when we were supposed to go on the boat trip on the Thames and there were all these teenage girls having birthday parties and generally being annoying. My friend joked that if the boat sank the only trace would be a large number of fake Burberry caps floating to the surface.

Editor's Note (2): Just remembered that before I got here I didn't know how to pronounce Thames. So some of you might not either. It's "tems". Not sure what happens to the h. Cheers!