Shiver me timbers or "shiver my timbers" 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 of a sailing ship in heavy seas, when the ship would be lifted up and pounded down so hard as to "shiver" the timbers, shaking sailors to the bones. Such an exclamation was meant to convey a feeling of fear and awe, similar to, "Well Blow Me Down!", or, "May God Strike Me Dead". is also reminiscent of the splintering of a ship's in battle - splinter wounds were a common form of battle injury on wooden ships ('shiver' means splinter in some English dialects)