Sham

Most commonly found in Ireland, but developing a popular growth amongst the U.K, the term places immediate reference to the dichotomy found in youth culture - between the shams and the moshers. Whilst moshers listen to metal music and wear band shirts, keep to themselves and often have long hair, shams like hip hop and rap, wear white sports brand or designer clothes and like to cause trouble. Shams believe they are adonises and carry themselves with an instantly recognisable gait, likened to that of a pidgeon, in which the shoulders move prominently with each step. Shams (esp. in Galway and Cork) have a very strong and unique accent, and even a dialect. Utilising words such as "mace" for "steal" and "beur" for girl they speak with a very nasal and somewhat whiny tone. Many shams believe they are gangster and indeed some, albeit very few, are. Most try to pass it off in a haze of puffy coats, spoken threats and supposedly impressive references to "fiddy" who was "shat niine tyymz". Shams take personal pride in being a sham, despite everyone else viewing them with contempt and disregard for their borish and antisocial behavior, and they flaunt their unfortunate vernacular and walk as one would an expensive watch. They usually dont travel alone but move in groups of 2 or 3 or more, praying on people who are alone to antagonise and bully them. To teens without experience this can indeed be threatening and scary, but once past a certain age they realise what a load of shit shams really are, and once stood up to, the shams will back away. Shams should be viewed with caution and never approached, but should not be feared.