'Asbo' and 'chav' make dictionary

The latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary has been published, including 1,500 new words reflecting recent changes in language and culture. Among the new words is "chav" - defined as "a young working class person who dresses in casual sports clothing". Also included are "Asbo", the acronym of Anti-Social Behaviour Order, and "retrosexual", a heterosexual man who spends little time on his appearance. The dictionary's editor-in-chief said it reflected a "vibrant" society. The dictionary suggests the word chav may have come from the Romany term "chavi", meaning child. 'Property porn' Elaborating on the theme, the tome also includes "chavette" - a female chav - and the adjectives "chavish" and "chavtastic" - designed for or suitable for chavs. The chav's equivalents from Ireland - "skanger", Scotland - "ned" and East Anglia - "yarco", also get a mention.