Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Polari, also chovi) a child.

1886		W. Newton Secrets of Tramp Life Revealed 19: They will borrow two or more children, or as they call them ‘Chavies’.
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 14: I very well remember being sent out with some of the other chavvies to lel some pawni.
1898		Newcastle Courant 20 Aug. 5/4: The Cap’en’ — he’s open and teedless as the sun — an’ a chavy (child) could chouse him.
1906		A. McCormick Tinker-Gypsies of Galloway 179: Now, chavi (boy) was that a dodge to raise money, or was your mother really in the train?
1906		Gloucester Citizen 14 Mar. 1/4: Oh, the saucy chavi [...] The dear, naughty, darling little chavi.
1912		Leamington Spa Courier 20 Sept. 7/1: There are a great many tramps staying in this district at the present time [...] There is a pretty fair sprinkling of ‘monishers’ and ‘chavvies’ (women and children) .
1935		X. Petulengro Romany Life 2: She invited three or four of us chavis on the ship.
1938		J. Curtis They Drive by Night 210: Them days was all right round the Edgware when we was chavvies.
1958		D. Reeve Smoke in the Lanes 178: ‘She left they dee-little chavies,’ Lavinia went on in scandalised tones.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 34: I thought as a chavvie that he was on about some fuckin big old three-eyed monster.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 42: She’s tryin to come down so she can get the chavvie to school.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 290/2: chavvy, chavy a child.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 19: Good evening, my chovis, my children.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 76: The chavvies cascaded out of the de-luxe hearse.

2. (also chovi) a form of address to a man, e.g. wotcher chavvy.

2006		D. Mitchell Black Swan Green 279: Cut yer a deal, my chavvo.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 79: Ye didnae see me, chavy, ye must huv been hallucinatin’.

3. (Polari) childhood.

2023

R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 20: All chavvies are alike: bloody horrible — but mine was a specjalni brand of horribleness!