▪ I. snick, n.1 slang or dial.
[Cf. snicking vbl. n.]
A snack or share. Usu. pl.
| 1723 Dk. Wharton True Briton No. 59, There is no Room for the Encouragement of Industry where the Snicks will hardly pay for a Saturday's Supper. 1888 Berkshire Gloss. 151 Snicks, shares, halves. 1891 Wrench Winchester Word-bk. (1901) 51 To go snicks, = to go snacks. |
▪ II. snick, n.2
(snɪk)
[f. snick v.2]
1. a. A small cut; a nick, a notch.
| 1775 Ash, Snick,..a small snip or cut as in the hair of a beast. 1828 Carr Craven Gloss., Snick, a cut, a hollow, a notch. 1897 Leeds Merc. Suppl. 4 Dec. (E.D.D.), Mak' a bit of a snick in 't. |
b. An act of snipping or slight cutting.
| 1898 E. W. Hamilton Mawkin v. 67 Just a snick of the shears and a dab of walnut juice. |
2. Cricket. A light, glancing blow given to the ball by the batsman, sending it in the direction of the slips or to leg; a ball so hit.
| 1857 Bell's Life 19 July 7/5 The last jump from 135 to 158..included many ‘snicks’, not hits. 1879 Sat. Rev. 5 July 21 Standing at short-leg to stop a snick, he caught Mr. Studd off a leg hit. 1891 W. G. Grace Cricket 258 He [short-slip] has to run after most of the snicks which pass the wicket-keeper. |
▪ III. snick, n.3
(snɪk)
[f. snick v.3 Cf. sneck n.3]
A sharp noise; a click.
| 1894 Doyle Mem. Sherlock Holmes 241 Suddenly there came from the window a sharp metallic snick. 1899 F. V. Kirby Sport E.C. Africa ii. 23, I pressed the trigger; but only the ‘snick’ of the striker answered the touch. |
▪ IV. snick, n.4 techn.
[? f. the first element of snick-snarl.]
(See quot. and cf. snickey a.)
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2230/1 Snick,..a knot or irregularity on yarn, removed by passing it through a slotted plate. |
▪ V. snick
variant of sneck n. (latch).
▪ VI. snick, v.1 Obs. exc. dial.
(snɪk)
Also 6 sneik, 7 snecke.
[Of obscure origin.]
Used with go, or imperatively, and always followed by up, in the sense of ‘go hang’.
| (a) 1599 H. Porter Angry Wom. Abingt. (Percy Soc.) 8 And his men be good fellowes, so it is; if they be not, let them goe sneik [v.r. snick] vp. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Knt. Burning Pestle iii. i, Give him his money George, and let him go snick up. 1631 Heywood Fair Maid of West i. Wks. 1874 II. 268 Goe, let your Master snick-up. a 1668 Davenant Play-Ho. to be Let Wks. (1673) 116 He may go snick-up if he hates Nymphidious. [1821 Scott Kenilw. xxix, Bidding the steward go snick up, if he came to startle us too soon from our goblets.] |
| (b) 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. ii. iii. 101 We did keepe time sir in our Catches. Snecke vp! 1602 Middleton Blurt, Master-Constable iv. i, I have been believed of your betters, marry, snick up! 1605 London Prodigal v. i, Wherefore to prison? snick vp, I owe you nothing. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Snickup, begone; away with you! 1883 in Eng. Dial. Dict. (West Yks.). |
▪ VII. snick, v.2
(snɪk)
Also 8 snic.
[prob. suggested by snick and snee, etc. Connexion with sneck v.2, or with Norw. and Icel. snikka, Sw. dial. snicka, to carve, whittle, is very doubtful.]
1. trans. To cut, snip, clip, nick. Also with off, out.
| c 1700 Street Robberies Consider'd, Snic, to cut. 1825 Jamieson Suppl. s.v. Sneck, Snick,..to cut with a sudden stroke of a sharp instrument. 1862 H. Kingsley Ravenshoe lxiii, He began by snicking the corner of her [sc. the doll's] foot off with nurse's scissors. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) I. 422 The third case-maker..quickly snicks out, with a pair of scissors, the superfluous cloth at each of the four corners. |
b. intr. (Cf. snick v.3 2.)
| 1863 Reade Hard Cash III. 22 The heavy scissors were heard snick, snick, snicking all day long. |
2. trans. To strike or hit sharply.
| 1880 Webb Goethe's Faust ii. v. 130 But we nick 'em and we snick 'em, Wherever they may stick. 1891 Mrs. J. A. Owen On Surrey Hills v. 158 He..lets drive, or, as he says, ‘snicks him’, killing him at once. |
b. Cricket. To strike (the ball) lightly so that it glances off in the slips or to leg; to obtain (so many runs) in this way.
| 1871 ‘Thomsonby’ Cricketers in Council 3 The new trundler then put down a tice..which the Surrey colt snicked cleverly through the slips. 1880 Daily Telegr. 23 Sept., Bates drove him finely for 4, and snicked him another 4. 1889 Pall Mall G. 8 Aug. 7 [He] snicked the first ball he received for 3. |
3. colloq. To cut or slip across or along (a road) quickly or sharply.
| 1883 E. Pennell-Elmhirst Cream Leicestersh. 343 The two former jumped an uncompromising piece of timber abreast into the field beyond;..the rest snicked the road for the corner immediately at hand. |
▪ VIII. snick, v.3
(snɪk)
[Imitative.]
1. a. trans. To cause to click or sound sharply.
| 1828 Ann. Reg., Chron. 25/1 They snicked their guns, but I saw no flash. 1900 Crockett Black Douglas 9 He stood..drawing it an inch from its sheath and snicking it back again. |
b. To turn on, off, out, up, to push open, with a clicking noise.
| 1927 Daily Express 30 Aug. 3/4 As she snicks open the trellised door. 1927 Observer 4 Dec. 12 A Foreman with a lantern..walks down a dark platform snicking on lights. 1959 I. Jefferies Thirteen Days vi. 75 This corner was all wrong for..firing a pistol round..but I snicked the heat out and exposed an eye. 1973 R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxxiv. 207 Hagopian crested the hill and snicked off the ignition. 1977 Detroit Free Press 11 Dec. 15-c/1 The electric vacuum system that snicks lamps up with the tap of a toggle on modern cars. |
2. a. intr. To make a sharp, clicking noise. Hence ˈsnicking vbl. n.
| 1892 Kipling Barrack-room Ballads 76 Ye may hear a breech-bolt snick where never a man is seen. 1893 Raymond Gent. Upcott xiv, The snicking of the flint and steel sounded hard and vicious. |
b. To move back, to come open, with a click.
| 1963 C. D. Simak They walked like Men xiv. 76 The lock snicked back and the door came open. 1972 J. Potts Trouble-Maker (1973) xviii. 146 The back door snicked open. |