Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to cut off.

1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 197: Chiving bags or Port-mantles from behind Horses.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: To chive the boungs of the frows; to cut off women’s pockets.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1848		Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) Oct. VIII:37 316/1: Chiv, to cut.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 14 Sept. n.p.: He was caught ‘chiveing his darbies’ which had been placed on him for cutting the bolts from the lock of his cell.

2. to saw or file.

1724		‘Frisky Moll’s Song’ in J. Thurmond Harlequin Sheppard 22: He broke thro’ all Rubbs in the Whitt, / And chiv’d his Darbies in twain.
1728		J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 8: Branch, pulling out a knife, said, I’ll Chive him.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 43: Chive his Muns; cut his Face.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: To chive the darbies; to file off the irons or fetters.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 19: chive [...] ‘Chive your darbies,’ file your irons off.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.

3. to stab or slash with a knife or razor.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) n.p.: Chive his Muns, cut his Face.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving .
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 232: To chiv a person is to stab or cut him with a knife.
1816		Proc. Old Bailey 18 Sept. 377/1: Mind how you act so as you don't throw any suspicion on me; because if you do, they will chiv me; that means stabbing him; putting a knife into him.
1820		Proc. Old Bailey 18 Sept. 518/2: I was making my way out from them, and they sung out ‘Chiv him!’ which means to use their knives. I got a cut over the knuckle, my hand was all over blood.
1828		‘Jon Bee’ Living Picture of London 26: What to the heel do you stash at? I’ll chive you.
1833		H. Smith Gale Middleton 1 153: I’ll just chiv sir sidney into him!
1868		Cassell’s Mag. May 80: He (a bushranger) was as good a man as Jacky at any weapon that could be named, and if Jacky were game for a chiving (stabbing) match, he (Kavanagh) was ready for him [F&H].
1871		Proc. Old Bailey 23 Oct. 606: Powell made a blow at me, and the prisoner pulled out a knife, opened it with his teeth, and said ‘I will chiv you’—while I was sparring with him I felt a prick in my back, and said ‘I am stabbed’.
1879		‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 503: After the place where I was chived got well, me and another screwed a place at Stoke Newington.
1881		Proc. Old Bailey 10 Jan. 305-6: He said something about chiving, that he would chiv me if I did not go with him [...] he stabbed me in two places on the left side of my head, and then he drew the knife right round my neck.
1896		A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 68: He was chived in the left lung.
1902		Sun. Times (Perth) 1 June 4/6: I’ll do all the shieving required. I don’t care a tinker’s imprecation what he was.
1904		Proc. Old Bailey 20 June 702: She [...] kept calling to the prisoner, ‘Fetch him out, chiv him, fetch him out’—‘chiv him’ means ‘knife him’.
1906		O.C. Malvery Soul Market 290: To ‘chive’ a man is to stab him.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 23: chiv [...] To cut; to slash.
1929		Illus. Police News 15 Aug. 2/4: Nelson fell at his feet after explaining, ‘I have been chivved,’ which in prison slang meant he had been cut with a razor.
1937		D. Burley in Chicago Defender 27 Feb. 7: One cop, chasing a gent who had ‘chibbed’ up another [etc].
1937		E. Raymond Marsh 459: He gets fighting, and the other fellow [...] outs with his knife and chives him.
1945		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 3 Mar. 14A: The little one chibbed her so that she had to [...] get six stitches in her scalp.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 43/2: Chiv, v. To use a chiv in fights.
1955		B. Hill Boss of Britain’s Underworld 28: I never chivved anyone unless I had to. And I would stand for plenty of liberties before eventually I did use the knife.
1959		C. Himes Crazy Kill 13: Johnny would have started chivving on him right there.
1962		B. McGhee Cut and Run (1963) 74: Ah didny want tae see Blaster gettin’ chibbed.
1969		C. Himes Blind Man with a Pistol (1971) 147: She was chivving his ass like beating time.
1973		(con. mid-1960s) J. Patrick Glasgow Gang Observed 125: Chibbin’ some-wan tae death in the street.
1993		I. Welsh Trainspotting 129: Dode’s been chibbed [...] He’s bleedin fae his side and his airm.
2000		T. Udo Vatican Bloodbath 35: If anyone had mentioned it before, he usually responded by chibbing them.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 75: His ain personal version ay the Duke ay Edinburgh Awards; whae wis getting chibbed.

4. to smash a glass in someone’s face and slash them with the shards.

1933

C. Leach On Top of the Und. in DSUE (1984).