A shiv (possibly from the Romani word chivomengro, "knife") is a slang term for any sharp or pointed implement used as a knife-like weapon. The OED suggests shive, a razor, documented in 1915, as the root word The word in practical usage is frequently used when referring to an improvised bladed weapon. Shivs are commonly made by inmates in prisons across the world. A shiv can be anything from a glass shard with fabric wrapped around one end to form a handle, to a razorblade stuck in the end of a toothbrush. Synonyms include shank and chiv chib (from Scottish slang, as exemplified in the novel Trainspotting, "chib" was originally a name for a blunt weapon such as a baseball bat or tree branch). These terms, along with "shiv", can be used either as a noun or a transitive verb, referring to the weapon or the act of attacking with such a weapon respectively. In the 1950s, professional criminal Billy Hill described his use of the shiv:
