shive
/ʃaɪv/
noun
- A thin, flat piece or fragment, especially of wood or cork; a splinter or sliver.
- A shive of cork broke off when he opened the old bottle.
- She carefully removed a shive of wood from her finger with tweezers.
- The floor was covered with tiny shives of broken lumber.
- A small, round piece of cork or rubber used to seal a bottle or cask.
- He pushed a new shive into the bunghole of the cider jug.
- The winemaker replaced the shive in the barrel to keep the wine fresh.
- Without a proper shive, the barrel would leak air and spoil the contents.