shivs
Crude jailhouse weapons
Shivs are crude knives or stabbing weapons, typically improvised in prisons from available materials—sharpened toothbrushes, filed-down spoons, broken glass bound with tape.
The singular shiv can also be a verb: He got shivved in the yard.
Outside prison contexts, shiv appears in games and fiction for any makeshift blade.
Prepared at one's residence
- makeshiftTemporary, improvised substitute
- contrabandProhibited trade goods
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
- scrapDiscarded bit or tussle
jailhouse · crafted · fashioned · toothbrush · melted · sharpened · filed · smuggled
Flat cutting edge
- pointExact location or meaning
- handlePart for gripping
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- sharpenedMade more cutting
filed · melted · wrapped · taped · grip · tip · shaft · spike
Kept out of sight
- stashedStored in concealment
- smuggledMoved goods illegally
- concealedMade invisible deliberately
- sleeveGarment's arm portion
waistband · sock · taped · disguised · undetected · palmed · secreted · mattress
Confined facility resident
- cellblockPrison housing unit
- yardLinear measure or grounds
- gangOrganized criminal group
- protectionGuarding against harm
smuggle · contraband · correctional · penitentiary · lockup · convict · guard · assault
homemade
Prepared at one's residence
- makeshiftTemporary, improvised substitute
- contrabandProhibited trade goods
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
scrap · jailhouse · crafted · fashioned · toothbrush · melted · sharpened · filed · smuggled · concealed
blade
Flat cutting edge
sharpened · filed · melted · wrapped · taped · grip · tip · shaft · spike · razor
hidden
Kept out of sight
sleeve · waistband · sock · taped · disguised · undetected · palmed · secreted · mattress · hollowed
inmate
Confined facility resident
protection · smuggle · contraband · correctional · penitentiary · lockup · convict · guard · assault · territory
stabbing
Wounding with a blade
assault · attack · bloodshed · lethal · fatal · thrust · jab · shanking · gutting · slicing
Devices requiring exact calibration
Swiss Army knives · chef's knives · hunting knives · katanas · swords
shivshunting knives
Blades for field dressing
chef's knives · utility knives · ceremonial swords · kitchen knives
shivssurgical instruments
Tools for medical procedures
craft tools · carving knives · woodworking tools · sculpting tools · box cutters