Thieves’ Cant. A knife.
1673. R. Head, Canting Acad., 12. He takes his Chive and cuts us down.
1725. New Cant. Dict., Chive, a Knife, File, or Saw.
1812. in J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Os-Chives, Bone-handled Knives.
1834. New Monthly Mag., XL. 490. The dreadful clasp-knife called a chiv is exposed and used if necessary.
1873. Slang Dict., s.v., Chive, a knife … the word is pronounced as though written chiv or chivvy.
Hence Chive v., to ‘knife.’
1725. New Cant. Dict., To Chive his Darbies, to saw asunder his Irons.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., s.v., to chiv a person is to stab or cut him with a knife.
1873. in Slang Dict.
