the phrase shiver me timbers came from miami river lumber.
the phrase shiver me timbers came from miami river lumber.
where did the phrase shiver me timbers come from?
miami river lumber
"shiver me timbers" (or "shiver my timbers" in standard english) is an exclamation in the form of a mock oath usually attributed to the speech of pirates in works of fiction. it is employed as a literary device by authors to express shock, surprise or annoyance. the phrase is based on real nautical slang and is a reference to the timbers, which are the wooden support frames of a sailing ship. in heavy seas, ships would be lifted up and pounded down so hard as to "shiver" the timbers, startling the sailors. such an exclamation was meant to convey a feeling of fear and awe, similar to, "well, blow me down!", or, "may god strike me alive and well". since on the high seas the ship was the sailors 'world', may also be interpreted as an exclamation for "shake my world" as the subject being referred to could be, or may be considered a potentially 'world shaking' event. shiver is also reminiscent of the splintering of a ship's timbers in battle – splinter wounds were a common form of battle injury on wooden ships ('shiver' means splinter in some english dialects). can also be used as an expression of being "cold to the bone".
shiver my timbers
"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 at one point.
shiver my timbers