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bovver

[bov-er]
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noun British Slang.
  1. troublemaking or rowdiness by street gang youths.
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Origin of bovver

1965–70; representing Cockney pronunciation of bother (noun), probably orig. as a euphemism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bovver

Historical Examples

  • I want to show the presents Mr. Bovver has sent us from New York—one for each of us.

    Medoline Selwyn's Work

    Mrs. J. J. Colter

British Dictionary definitions for bovver

bovver

noun
  1. British slang
    1. rowdiness, esp caused by gangs of teenage youths
    2. (as modifier)a bovver boy
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Word Origin

C20: slang pronunciation of bother
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bovver

1969, Cockney pronunciation of bother "trouble" (q.v.), given wide extended usage in skinhead slang.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper