skiver

[skahy-ver]

noun

1. a person or thing that skives.

2. a thin, soft leather made from sheepskin, used for hat linings and book bindings.

skiver

¹

/ ˈskaɪvə /

noun

1. the tanned outer layer split from a skin

2. a person, tool, or machine that skives

skiver

²

/ ˈskaɪvə /

noun

1. slang,  a person who persistently avoids work or responsibility

Word History and Origins

Origin of skiver¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; skive + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Lauren Skiver, the chief executive and general manager of SunLine, said that she had invited other transit agencies and utilities to see just how far hydrogen had come but that she had often met with disbelief and ambivalence.

Read more on New York Times

“We try to meet with them all the time: ‘Look what we’re doing on hydrogen,’” Ms. Skiver said.

Read more on New York Times

If a university does not produce the occasional eloquent skiver, or unquenchably verbal time-waster, it is not fulfilling its true end.

Read more on The Guardian

So, we need to construct a new narrative; one that reflects the reality of people’s lives, not an imagined one-dimensional “scrounger” or “skiver”.

Read more on The Guardian

A British Airways survey found more than half of the working population don't use all their holiday allowance, and more than a third of UK workers are afraid to take a two-week holiday in case their colleagues think they're a bit of a skiver.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bayonet 
• blade 
• cutter 
• dagger 
• machete 
• scalpel 
• sickle 
• skewer 
• sword