Snabby (or Snab), adj. (American).—Stylish; tasteful; good-looking [Bartlett: 'a college word'].
Snack, subs. (colloquial).—1. A
share; a portion: to go snacks
(or to snack) = to share; to
divide (B. E., Grose and Bee).
1675. Wycherley, Country Wife, iii. 2. Who is that that is to be bubbled? Faith, let me snack; I ha'n't met with a bubble since Christmas.
1701. Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair, iv. 2. Well, Monsieur, 'tis about a thousand pounds; we go snacks.
d.1704. Lestrange, Works [Century]. If the master gets the better on't, they come in for their snack.
d.1704. Brown, Works, ii. 108. The Cardinal d'Estrée being passionately in love with the marchioness de Cœuvres who was supposed to have granted the duke de Sceaux the liberty of rifling her placket, was resolved to put in for his snack.
1719. Smith, Highwaymen, i. 85. He and his comrades coming to an inn to snack their booty.
1734. Pope, Satires, Prol. All my demurs but double his attacks; At last he whispers, 'Do, and we go snacks.'
1789. Parker, Life's Painter, 149. Snack the bit.
c.1790. Ireland Sixty Years Ago, 'Kilmainham Minit,' 87. He merrily melted de winners, To snack wi' de boys of de pad.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 378. You shall go snacks in all that we can squeeze out of the old fellow.
2. (colloquial).—A hasty meal; a bite (q.v.).—Bee.
1763. Foote, Mayor of Garratt, i. Come, son Bruin, we are all seated at table, man; we have but just time for a snack.
1818. Scott, Midlothian, xxxviii. The cloth is laid . . . it is past three o'clock . . . I have been waiting this hour for you, and I have had a snack myself.
3. (common).—An innuendo; a jibe: e.g. 'That's a nasty snack for you.' As verb. = to quiz; to roast (q.v.). Cf. snag.
1897. Marshall, Pomes, 112. It gives no ground for spiteful snacks.
4. (Winchester College).—A racket ball.
Snaffle, subs. (old).—Talk: spec.
conversation uninteresting or unintelligible
to those present: cf.
shop.
Verb. (old).—1. To steal. Whence snaffle (or snaffler) = a thief: spec. a highwayman; snaffling-lay = highway robbery; snaffled = arrested.
1724. Harper, 'Frisky Moll's Song' [Harlequin Jack Sheppard]. From priggs that snaffle the prancers strong.
1751. Fielding, Amelia, i. 3. I thought by your look you had been a clever fellow, and upon the snaffling lay at least; but . . . I find you are some sneaking-budge rascal.
2. (thieves').—To arrest; to pull up (q.v.).
Snag, subs. (common).—1. A
tooth: spec. a long, irregular
tooth (B. E. and Grose): also
snaggler: see Grinders.
Whence snag-catcher = a
dentist.
1717. Prior, Alma, ii. 148. In China none hold women sweet, Except their snags are black as jet.
2. (common).—An unsuspected hindrance or set-back. [Orig. American = a half sunken tree impeding river navigation.] Hence, as verb. = to embarrass. To catch a snag = to get a rebuff, to get snubbed: cf. snack.
1881. W. Phillips, Speeches, 38. Stagnant times have been when a great mind, anchored in error, might snag the slow moving current of society.
1901. Free Lance, 30 Nov., 220, 1. The nasty little snags the average man of business is apt to encounter daily.
3. (old).—A snail (B E. and Grose).
