skiver n [phonetics unavailable]. OED ~ sb1 chief dial (1664-1746); EDD 1 esp s w cties for sense 1.
1 A skewer, esp a forked stick on which fish are impaled or strung through the gills in carrying; the load of trout so carried; GAD n (1896 Dial Notes i, 381).
1894 Evening Herald 12 Dec All [in the tent] looking so happy with deers meat stuck up on scivers made of wood. P 126-67 [That's a fine] skiver of trout. M 69-6 I was so overjoyed that I stopped trouting, got a skiver (a Y-shaped section of an alder) and reeved the trout and the salmon on it. M 70-9 'Have you got e'ra troutin' bag, Aubrey?' 'Na, I'm going to string mine on a skiver.' 1974 SOUIRE 67 'Now,' he said, 'you will need a skivver (skewer) to bring home your squid.' The skivver is actually a forked stick, pointed at the ends on which the squid were impaled to promote carrying. He handed me the hook and the skivver, and I started to run down the hill toward the sea-shore.
2 Pointed peg on which bait is impaled in a lobster-trap.
T 13/20-64 Now in the centre of the pot there's a skiver, a little stick about six inches long, right small in the end. Well now, I'll put my bait on this skiver. P 148-65 The skiver [is] the pointed peg where bait is stuck. Then a rubber ring [is] slid down to lock bait and hold skiver upright to a vertical line.
3 Knitting needle (1940 Dal Rev xv, 65
P 171-65 A skiver is a knitting needle with a knob on one end so that only the other end is free for knitting. P 160-70 ~ One of a set of two knitting needles; those making up a set of four will not be called skivers. 1979 POCIUS 23 Some women also stated that wooden needles were often made by local men. These needles were called 'skivvers,' and this term now often refers to any type of knitting needle.
4 A thin person; a small child (1971 NOSEWORTHY 243).
P 229-67 He's only a skiver (i.e. very thin). P 170-70 She's been sick so long that she's just a skiver. 1975 Them Days i (1), p. 21 I used to tend her best I could, but I was just a little skivver.
5 Comb skiver line: (a) in a lobster-trap, line hanging from top of trap to hold baited 'skiver' in place; (b) rope with wire hangers used for landing fish when boat is prevented from coming alongside the stage (P 186-73).
P 241-68 In the centre of the [lobster] pot there is a skiver line which hangs down from the top of the pot. About half way down the line there is a stick tied onto the line. On this stick the bait is placed. P 127-76 The skiver is attached to a line strung between the top and bottom of the trap. It is pushed through the bait and then secured in place by pushing it through a loop of leather or twine which is also attached to the skiver line.
