British Slang For Knife (Explained!)

The most common British slang terms for knife are “shiv” or sometimes “chiv” or “chive”. “Shank” is also used. Knives are also sometimes referred to as “chings”. Particular kinds of knife are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Stanleys”. “Drum and fife” is popular Cockney rhyming slang for knife. These are the most widely used slang terms for knife in Britain.

Knives play a role in many parts of life, but naturally the area from which the most slang arises on this topic tends to be the seedier, criminal half of things.

Many of these slang terms are used to describe knives with the sole purpose of causing harm to people—though certainly not all of them.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the British call knives?

The British have a few different names for knives.

The most common and widely used is “shiv”, a term that will be universally understood throughout virtually all of Britain.

It has a long and fairly complex history, and most people would probably still tend to associate the word “shiv” with a certain kind of knife.

For example, it might be something handmade from available materials in a prison, for the purpose of self-defense.

It has become broader in its meaning, though, and most people will understand it just means knife.

There are a few variations of this term.

“Chiv” or “chive” are also commonly used, though they are essentially the same word with a different spelling or slightly different pronunciation.

These are not quite as common as shiv, but they certainly are used from time to time.

More rarely, knives are referred to as “chings”.

This is a very uncommon slang term which is much more regionally specific.

You might hear it a lot in London, and perhaps in other big cities that the slang has spread to, but it’s generally more restricted regionally.

Not everyone will understand what is meant by this term, though it simply refers to the “ching” noise that knife metal can make.

Other than that, “Stanley” is a very specific term sometimes used for certain kinds of knife, and rarely applied more generally.

“Drum and fife” is a common piece of Cockney rhyming slang used in the East End of London—this is a form of slang where you take a rhyming word and substitute it for the word you want to say.

These are all the slang terms for knife that are widely used in Britain—let’s see where they come from.

Why do the British say “shiv”?

Shiv is quite an old word, and you may not be surprised to learn it derives supposedly from underworld slang.

As I said, a shiv was and is generally understood to be a makeshift knife you would create in prison.

The word itself first appears in writing in 1915, and here more specifically just meant a razor used for shaving.

It’s thought that the word derives from the 1890s, when the word “chive” was used in thieves cant to refer to a knife.

Thieves cant was a particular kind of secret language used among thieves, so that they could discuss their trade without being overheard or understood.

“Shiv” was simply a variant pronunciation of this word.

This isn’t entirely certain, but it seems fairly likely.

The word “chive” itself is said to derive from a Romani word chivomengro, which simply meant knife.

Why do the British say “shank”?

Shank is another very old term.

Originally, the word referred to the leg of an animal or human—as it survives today in the form of “lamb shank”.

By the late 15^th Century, it had come to refer to the shaft of a nail or a pin.

Out of that eventually arose the verb “to shank”, meaning to stab, and then it became itself a word for knives.

Why do the British say “Stanley”?

Stanley is a term sometimes used to refer to knives as a whole.

However, it is usually a lot more specific than that.

Stanley is a particular brand of knife, what in the U.S. would be called a box cutter.

It’s a tool for opening packaging, a very short, retractable knife with an extremely sharp blade.

So, when people say “Stanley” for knife, this is usually what they mean.

However, as I say, the word has expanded in scope and now has a much broader meaning.

Why do the British say “drum and fife”?

Finally, we have “drum and fife” which, as I say, is a part of Cockney rhyming slang.

The simplest way to explain this kind of slang is that it is really no more complicated than the words rhyme, therefore you get the slang. “Fife” rhymes with “knife”.

The Fife and drum corps, though, is a musical ensemble in the United States consisting of fifes and drums.

This was a colonial period form of pageantry, associated therefore with Britain, and therefore this is where the Cockney rhyming slang comes from.

There are a good few ways you can refer to a knife in British slang, then.

However, by far the most common name for a knife in British slang is simply a shiv.

This was, at least in the past, a far more specific term which you would only use in certain contexts.

Today, though, the meaning has certainly expanded and can be applied to knives more generally.

Other than that, most terms are not as commonly used.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!