bovver

American  

[bov-er] / ˈbɒv ər /

noun

British Slang.

1. troublemaking or rowdiness by street gang youths.

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bovver British  

/ ˈbɒvə /

noun

1. slang

   1. rowdiness, esp caused by gangs of teenage youths

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bovver boy

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Etymology

Origin of bovver

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

Example Sentences

The satirical puppet show, Spitting Image, portrayed him as a leather-clad bovver boy, the enforcer of the Iron Lady's doctrine.

From BBC

Dressed in a white lace corset and knee-high bovver boots, she high-kicked across the stage, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

From BBC

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