Chavs, yarcos and neds — these are the new tribes of Britain, as defined by compilers of the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary. And the weapon for keeping them in line? The asbo, of course.
The 1,500 new entries in the dictionary, published Wednesday, reflect the latest trends in language, society, sport — and even crime.
“Chav” is defined as “a young working-class person who dresses in casual sports clothes. The word’s origins may come “from Romany chavi — a child.” The dictionary also includes “chavette,” the female equivalent, and the adjectives “chavish” and “chavtastic” — suitable for or designed for chavs.
“Yarco” is Irish slang for someone from eastern England and “ned” is a synonym for Scottish.
Any chav who misbehaves is likely to get an “asbo” — the acronym for the government’s anti-social behavior order, which the dictionary defines as “a civil order made against a persistently anti-social individual which restricts his or her activities or movements, a breach of which results in criminal charges.”
'Bouncebackability'
“Property porn” also appears for the first time and is described as “a genre of escapist TV programs, magazine features, etc. showing desirable properties for sale, (especially) those in idyllic locations, or in need of renovation, or both.”
“Bouncebackability,” defined as “the ability to recover after a setback, (especially) in sport,” is regarded as having been coined by Iain Dowie, manager of the Crystal Palace soccer team.
Also included is “squeaky-bum time,” which the dictionary calls “the tense final stages of a league competition, (especially) from the point of view of the leaders.” The phrase was invented by Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of the Manchester United soccer team “in an attempt to convey the tension experienced by those involved.”
Other new words include “adultescent,” an adult who is still actively interested in youth culture; “brand Nazi,” a person who insists on buying one particular brand of clothing or other commodity; “exhibition killing,” the murder of a hostage by terrorists, filmed for broadcasting on television or the internet; and “retrosexual,” a heterosexual man who spends little time and money on his personal appearance.
“People have taken possession of language and are ever more inventive about the way they use it,” said the dictionary’s editor-in-chief Jeremy Butterfield.
“The new words in this edition do not only reflect change in our culture, but a change in the way we use our language: they portray a vibrant, multicultural society finding new ways to express itself and describe the world around it.”