Greb is the term used to describe youths who go around wearing hoodies, large baggy skate trousers (ROAD sometimes as well) and often look rather mopey and depressed (I know this is the case around the south east of England and in Scotland. There may be other names for them elsewhere). They also sometimes have skateboards on them and/or BMX/jump bikes.
The best way to identify them is by the fact that, as my mum puts it, they all need a good scrub!

Their anger/depression/hatred usually stems from something that has happened before or during puberty that affected them and they blame everything wrong in the world on this.

Their natural enemy is what is known in Cambridge as a "Barry" (not that there's anything wrong with the name Barry or anything like that, its just what they tend to be called down south). These people are mean to everyone and like to bug and annoy anyone who tries to mind their own business. Therefore a stoned Greb sitting on one of the public parks doesn't like "Barries" because of these facts and will take any means to avoid or kick the crap out of them. The female version is called a Shazza or a Sharon, again this is purely slang used due to the fact that a large majority of them are called this (or they were when the slang was thought up).
I know that "Barries" are called many other things throughout the country.
I will add to the Barry node to include a better description of a "Barry" so you to can beat up these miscreants in your area.

Like most classifications of the misguided youth there are different degrees of Greb.

The hard core Greb truly hates the world and themselves. The hatred hiding behind their drugged up eyes would kill any man if unleashed upon him. As John Dryden said Beware the fury of a patient man. Unfortunatly the hard core Greb often is too doped up to do much movement.

To notice a hard core Greb in the streets you need to know what they look like. They wear impressivly large trousers which look like they've never been washed (which they rarely have). Their hoody (if they need it; they may not feel much any more) is holed, partially burnt after an accident with a spliff and an aerosol can and smells (not of anything in particular, it just smells). Their hair is spiked up most the time though if they don't have it spiked up then it is long enough to cover their eyes. They have no need to use gel or wax since their natural grease is so prominent that it can hold together their fraying clothes if need be. One last thing to look out for, they wear the biggest chains they can find hanging from their belt one of which will go to their wallet. Often they will use bike chains if they can't afford/find any other type of chain. The rest of the chains go nowhere really (I've never dared to find out). They may also have a spiked dog collar round their neck and on their wrists (to hide the cut marks that they might have).

The music they listen to is of the loud and hating type so mainly Slipknot, Korn, Soulfly, Static-X etc..

On the softer side of the scale is the lovable Greb. They look sweet and harmless but still wear the Grebby clothes in an attempt to be different and hard. They rarely pull off either.

They wear the trademark hoody and skater jeans and maybe a conservative chain. Some of them are very good `boarders but they have a slight problem in that a lot of the time the board is only about ¾ their height.

They tend to be listen to some of the more popular rock bands such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach. They daren't buy anything heavier in case their parents find it and tell them off (turning into a Greb is often done to piss off parents or to distinguish oneself from others who you hate). Even though these little kiddies (as they often are) are often sneered at by the more mature Grebs they are still the foundation for more angst filled Grebs.
N.B. Not all little Grebs are lovable Grebs. Some really are hard core which is kind of scary. Something must have seriously screwed them up to be the way they are so young.

The majority of Grebs tend to fall into the half way house area. They have a hatred that is more than the lovable Grebs but not up to the standard of hard core Grebs. They also are slightly more tame than the hard core with their clothes being washed (or scraped) every 1-4 months and their trousers not being quite as large..

The music they listen to tends to be more esoteric than the other forms of Greb. They listen to some harder stuff such as Korn and Slipknot but they also sometimes listen to Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach. They also have a liking for some punk rock music though nowadays it is a bit to happy. Some other good bands for the mediocre Greb are Boy Hits Car, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Nirvana etc. and if they are a bit of a connoisseur then Deftones, Tool and A Perfect Circle as well.


Most of this information is relevant to the East Anglia area of England though I know that, apart from the names, these types of youth are well known and defined throughout the British Isles.

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