“chav” is actually a British term for “white trash” or urban hick.
10-15 years ago, ‘chav’ was an almost exclusively southern term. Up here in the north (Lancashire), the terms we used to describe these types were ‘scallies’ or ‘townies’, but these have generally fallen out in favour of ‘chav’
“Chav” is an acronym for “Council House And Violence.” I’ve been dating a British gal for a while and she gets me rolling with her use of British slang. Two of my favorite terms are “punchup,” meaning a brawl and “earwigging,” meaning to secretly listen in on a private conversation.