bovver

[ bov-er ]

noun

, British Slang.

1. troublemaking or rowdiness by street gang youths.

bovver

/ ˈbɒvə /

noun

1. slang.
   1. rowdiness, esp caused by gangs of teenage youths
   2. ( as modifier )

      a bovver boy

Word History and Origins

Origin of bovver¹

1965–70; representing Cockney pronunciation of bother (noun), probably originally as a euphemism

Word History and Origins

Origin of bovver¹

C20: slang pronunciation of bother

Example Sentences

And it was thanks to If.… that he landed the role of Alex DeLarge in the vicious, playful A Clockwork Orange, prancing about Thamesmead in bovver boots and a bowler hat.

From The Guardian

Johnson, who is also a Churchill biographer, said he would do everything in his power to protect the statue of Churchill but called the counterprotesters “far-right thugs and bovver boys.”

From Washington Post

A “bovver boy” in British slang is a hooligan, often a skinhead, who creates bother.

From Washington Post

Now, Dacre-trained in attack dog menace, he pulls on his bovver boots and joins them.

From The Guardian

One woman, wearing red lipstick and bovver boots, says she is overwhelmed.

From The Guardian