shiv vs shank

[jessicapier]

I've always thought the word for a homemade knife, usually one made in prison, was "shiv." Lately I've been hearing "shank" used for the same thing. Are both correct? If so, how are they different?

Thanks.

[andy hughes]

Shiv is a slang word for a knife or other sharp implement - it's thought to be a word with Romany origins - used in prison to refer to a homemade knife.

Shank is another name for the body of a nail - but it has a number of other meanings.

I reckons 'shiv' is the commonist word for a knife - used in prison, and  I think 'shank' may be an Americanism, again adopted in prison, for the same thing.

[mcfc1976]

A shiv/shaft is made from everyday items even as innocent as a toothbrush sharpened to a point.

One is American, the other English.

[Only]

Most easiest way to explain it? Shiv's are more used to cut stuff. Shanks are used to stab. So, Shiv=cut and Shank=stab.

[Tomb_Raider]

They're synonyms. But some minor differences are:

Shiv is a homemade knife made of anything but metal. It could be made of wood, glass or plastic. Such as a glass shard or a sharp toothbrush.

Shank is made out of scrap from metal.

[cynner]

Having known a lot of convicts and also scouring Google, my impression is, they can be interchangeably as both nouns and verbs, depending on the area one is from. They are both defined sometimes as homemade knife-like weapons, primarily found in jails and prisons, and/or to atrack as with a knife, using a homemade weapon. Some areas make finer distinctions such as metal vs other material, stabbing vs cutting, or shape of weapon. And some areas seem to use both shiv and shank to describe a weapon, but only one is used to describe to action. Sorry it's not cleaner and more straightforward, but it's street slang, developed across multiple countries.