Shiver Me Timbers Origin Meaning Of This Pirate Phrase Historyextra The word ‘shiver’ is defined in the oxford english dictionary as “to break into small fragments or splinters” while the ‘timbers’ refer to the wooden support frames of old sailing ships. so the saying ‘shiver me timbers’ was most likely alluding to the shock of a large wave or cannonball smashing into the ship and causing the. According to the oxford english dictionary, one early definition of “shiver” is “to break or split into small fragments or splinters.”. and “timber” is “wood used for the building of houses, ships, etc.”. in the context of ships specifically, the “timbers” were the wooden support frames of the vessel. when the phrase is put.
Shiver Me Timbers The Meaning And Origin Of The Pirate Phras The origin of the phrase “shiver me timbers” dates back to the golden age of piracy in the 17th and 18th centuries. it was a time when pirates roamed the seas, and their language and expressions became ingrained in popular culture. the phrase itself refers to the sound of creaking ship timbers in rough seas, as the wooden planks. Pirate stereotypes. "shiver my timbers" was most famously popularized by the archetypal pirate long john silver in robert louis stevenson 's treasure island (1883). silver used the phrase seven times, as well as variations such as "shiver my sides", "shiver my soul" and "shake up your timbers". another pirate, israel hands, also uses the phrase. The first appearance of the phrase in print is in frederick marryat’s jacob faithful, 1834: “i won’t thrash you tom. shiver my timbers if i do.”. one meaning of shiver, which is now largely forgotten, is ‘to break into pieces’. that meaning originated at least as early as the 14th century and is recorded in several old english texts. Timber was a slang term for “wooden leg” (“timber toe” meant “man with a wooden leg”). it was also a nautical expression for the pieces of wood making up the ribs or frames of a ship.
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