Definition of Chav - from the 'Online Slang Dictionary'
"Chavs are 'townies. Origin: UK. All are known fundamentally for being loudly low-class. The wearing of new, name brand athletic clothing and shoes, tacky Gold Jewelry (particularly hoop ear rings, large pendant necklaces, and gaudy rings) and, perhaps most importantly, Burberry are quite important. Associated with low level criminal activities and other crass/drunken misbehaviour, they are most often found in housing projects and other low-income neighborhoods."
From 'Wiktionary'
"The etymology is unclear, but the word probably has Romany origins -- compare Romany chavo 'male child', chavi 'female child', chal 'boy', chavvy 'mate, friend'. It thus may be related to charva (from Romany charver 'prostitute')... It seems to have originated in the south-east and may represent a development of, or influence from, certain towns names including Chatham (which has a Romany community)... As the word became more widespread, a variety of backronyms have also been suggested (Council Housed And Violent, Council House Associated Vermin, etc.), all equally unsubstantiated."
*
Chapter 1 - The Late Train
August. I was on the late train from Charing Cross after an office party - the retirement do of a fellow partner at my law firm.
I wasn't drunk, just merry, reading the Metro and listening to the other merry and drunken passengers returning home from a night on the town that sultry summer's evening.
The train was fairly full, and two girls tottered down the carriage looking for a seat. They spotted the empty seats in front of me, and plonked themselves into them, giggling.
I looked up from the paper and checked them out. The one that attracted me was blonde, skinny, short, maybe twenty. She was pretty in a hard way; her blue eyes were bright, her nose well formed (despite the stud in her left nostril), and her teeth only slightly crooked. Her long hair was piled up, 2 huge gold hoops hung from each of her ears. She wore a cheap floral summer frock, the hemline was very short showing her very white uncovered legs. She wore a simple gold chain on her left ankle, just hanging below a small, badly etched butterfly tattoo, and her small feet were encased in dirty white stilettos. In short, she was a Chav... and I was aroused.
The friend, was about the same age, dark haired, plain, short and plump. This didn't stop her from wearing a light blue woolen top which was 1 size too small for her and a short white skirt. Her chubby legs were likewise adorned with ankle chain, ankle tattoo and white shoes.
I concentrated my occasional glance from the paper on the blonde. They talked loudly about how ugly and feeble the blokes who had chatted them up in Convent Garden were, munched on the remains of a MacDonalds, and slowly calmed down as the train pulled out of the station.
I ignored them for a while and concentrated on the paper. However after the train left Bromley, where many of the passengers had got off, I looked up and noted the blonde staring at me, a crooked smile on her face. I returned the smile and returned to the Sports section.
A minute later, I looked up and she was whispering to her friend, who in turn looked at me almost sorrowfully. The blonde slouched in her seat, and raised her left foot to rest on my seat just to my right. I thought better of asking her to move it, and was in fact turned on.