Part 65
They had also all manner of gynes [engines] . . . that needful is [in] taking or sieging of castle or of city, as snails, that was naught else but hollow pavises and targets, under the which men, when they fought, were heled [protected], . . . as the snail is in his house; therefore they cleped them snails.
Vegetius (Trans.).
5. (Bot.) The pod of the sanil clover.
Ear snail, Edible snail, Pond snail, etc. See under Ear, Edible, etc. -- Snail borer (Zoöl.), a boring univalve mollusk; a drill. -- Snail clover (Bot.), a cloverlike plant (Medicago scuttellata, also, M. Helix); -- so named from its pods, which resemble the shells of snails; -- called also snail trefoil, snail medic, and beehive. -- Snail flower (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Phaseolus Caracalla) having the keel of the carolla spirally coiled like a snail shell. -- Snail shell (Zoöl.), the shell of snail. -- Snail trefoil. (Bot.) See Snail clover, above.
Snail"fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Sea snail (a).
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Snail"-like` (?), a. Like or suiting a snail; as, snail-like progress.
Snail"-like`, adv. In the manner of a snail; slowly.
Snail"-paced` (?), a. Slow-moving, like a snail.
Bid the snail-paced Ajax arm for shame.
Shak.
'Snails (?), interj. God's nails, or His nails, that is, the nails with which the Savior was fastened to the cross; -- an ancient form of oath, corresponding to 'Od's bodikins (dim. of body, i.e., God's dear body). Beau. & Fl.
Snake (?), n. [AS. snaca; akin to LG. snake, schnake, Icel. snkr, sn&?;kr, Dan. snog, Sw. snok; of uncertain origin.] (Zoöl.) Any species of the order Ophidia; an ophidian; a serpent, whether harmless or venomous. See Ophidia, and Serpent.
Snakes are abundant in all warm countries, and much the larger number are harmless to man.
Blind snake, Garter snake, Green snake, King snake, Milk snake, Rock snake, Water snake, etc. See under Blind, Garter, etc. -- Fetich snake (Zoöl.), a large African snake (Python Sebæ) used by the natives as a fetich. -- Ringed snake (Zoöl.), a common European columbrine snake (Tropidonotus natrix). -- Snake eater. (Zoöl.) (a) The markhoor. (b) The secretary bird. -- Snake fence, a worm fence (which see). [U.S.] -- Snake fly (Zoöl.), any one of several species of neuropterous insects of the genus Rhaphidia; -- so called because of their large head and elongated neck and prothorax. -- Snake gourd (Bot.), a cucurbitaceous plant (Trichosanthes anguina) having the fruit shorter and less snakelike than that of the serpent cucumber. -- Snake killer. (Zoöl.) (a) The secretary bird. (b) The chaparral cock. -- Snake moss (Bot.), the common club moss (Lycopodium clavatum). See Lycopodium. -- Snake nut (Bot.), the fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Ophiocaryon paradoxum) of Guiana, the embryo of which resembles a snake coiled up. -- Tree snake (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of colubrine snakes which habitually live in trees, especially those of the genus Dendrophis and allied genera.
Snake, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snaked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Snaking.] 1. To drag or draw, as a snake from a hole; -- often with out. [Colloq. U.S.] Bartlett.
2. (Naut.) To wind round spirally, as a large rope with a smaller, or with cord, the small rope lying in the spaces between the strands of the large one; to worm.
Snake, v. i. To crawl like a snake.
Snake"bird` (?), n. [So named from its snakelike neck.] (Zoöl.) 1. Any one of four species of aquatic birds of the genus Anhinga or Plotus. They are allied to the gannets and cormorants, but have very long, slender, flexible necks, and sharp bills.
The American species (Anhinga, or Plotus, anhinga) inhabits the Southern United States and tropical America; -- called also darter, and water turkey. The Asiatic species (A. melanogaster) is native of Southern Asia and the East Indies. Two other species inhabit Africa and Australia respectively.
2. (Zoöl.) The wryneck.
Snake"fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) The band fish. (b) The lizard fish.
Snake"head` (?), n. 1. A loose, bent-up end of one of the strap rails, or flat rails, formerly used on American railroads. It was sometimes so bent by the passage of a train as to slip over a wheel and pierce the bottom of a car.
2. (Bot.) (a) The turtlehead. (b) The Guinea-hen flower. See Snake's-head, and under Guinea.
Snake"neck` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The snakebird, 1.
Snake"root` (?), n. (Bot.) Any one of several plants of different genera and species, most of which are (or were formerly) reputed to be efficacious as remedies for the bites of serpents; also, the roots of any of these.
The Virginia snakeroot is Aristolochia Serpentaria; black snakeroot is Sanicula, esp. S. Marilandica, also Cimicifuga racemosa; Seneca snakeroot is Polygala Senega; button snakeroot is Liatris, also Eryngium; white snakeroot is Eupatorium ageratoides. The name is also applied to some others besides these.
Snake's"-head` (?), n. (Bot.) The Guinea-hen flower; -- so called in England because its spotted petals resemble the scales of a snake's head. Dr. Prior.
Snake's-head iris (Bot.), an iridaceous plant (Hermodactylus tuberosus) of the Mediterranean region. The flowers slightly resemble a serpent's open mouth.
Snake"stone` (?), n. 1. A kind of hone slate or whetstone obtained in Scotland.
2. (Paleon.) An ammonite; -- so called from its form, which resembles that of a coiled snake.
Snake's-tongue` (?), n. (Bot.) Same as Adder's-tongue.
Snake"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A kind of knotweed (Polygonum Bistorta). (b) The Virginia snakeroot. See Snakeroot.
Snake"wood` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) An East Indian climbing plant (Strychnos colubrina) having a bitter taste, and supposed to be a remedy for the bite of the hooded serpent. (b) An East Indian climbing shrub (Ophioxylon serpentinum) which has the roots and stems twisted so as to resemble serpents. (c) Same as Trumpetwood. (d) A tropical American shrub (Plumieria rubra) which has very fragrant red blossoms. (e) Same as Letterwood.
Snak"ish (?), a. Having the qualities or characteristics of a snake; snaky.
Snak"y (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to a snake or snakes; resembling a snake; serpentine; winding.
The red light playing upon its gilt and carving gave it an appearance of snaky life.
L. Wallace.
2. Sly; cunning; insinuating; deceitful.
So to the coast of Jordan he directs His easy steps, girded with snaky wiles.
Milton.
3. Covered with serpents; having serpents; as, a snaky rod or wand. Dryden.
That snaky-headed, Gorgon shield.
Milton.
Snap (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snapped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Snapping.] [LG. or D. snappen to snap up, to snatch; akin to G. schnappen, MHG. snaben, Dan. snappe, and to D. snavel beak, bill. Cf. Neb, Snaffle, n.] 1. To break at once; to break short, as substances that are brittle.
Breaks the doors open, snaps the locks.
Prior.
2. To strike, to hit, or to shut, with a sharp sound.
3. To bite or seize suddenly, especially with the teeth.
He, by playing too often at the mouth of death, has been snapped by it at last.
South.
4. To break upon suddenly with sharp, angry words; to treat snappishly; -- usually with up. Granville.
5. To crack; to cause to make a sharp, cracking noise; as, to snap a whip.
MacMorian snapped his fingers repeatedly.
Sir W. Scott.
6. To project with a snap.
To snap back (Football), to roll the ball back with the foot; -- done only by the center rush, who thus delivers the ball to the quarter back on his own side when both sides are ranged in line. -- To snap off. (a) To break suddenly. (b) To bite off suddenly.
Snap, v. i. 1. To break short, or at once; to part asunder suddenly; as, a mast snaps; a needle snaps.
But this weapon will snap short, unfaithful to the hand that employs it.
Burke.
2. To give forth, or produce, a sharp, cracking noise; to crack; as, blazing firewood snaps.
3. To make an effort to bite; to aim to seize with the teeth; to catch eagerly (at anything); -- often with at; as, a dog snapsat a passenger; a fish snaps at the bait.
4. To utter sharp, harsh, angry words; -- often with at; as, to snap at a child.
5. To miss fire; as, the gun snapped.
Snap, n. [Cf. D. snap a snatching. See Snap, v. t.] 1. A sudden breaking or rupture of any substance.
2. A sudden, eager bite; a sudden seizing, or effort to seize, as with the teeth.
3. A sudden, sharp motion or blow, as with the finger sprung from the thumb, or the thumb from the finger.
4. A sharp, abrupt sound, as that made by the crack of a whip; as, the snap of the trigger of a gun.
5. A greedy fellow. L'Estrange.
6. That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap.
He's a nimble fellow, And alike skilled in every liberal science, As having certain snaps of all.
B. Jonson.
7. A sudden severe interval or spell; -- applied to the weather; as, a cold snap. Lowell.
8. A small catch or fastening held or closed by means of a spring, or one which closes with a snapping sound, as the catch of a bracelet, necklace, clasp of a book, etc.
9. (Zoöl.) A snap beetle.
10. A thin, crisp cake, usually small, and flavored with ginger; -- used chiefly in the plural.
11. Briskness; vigor; energy; decision. [Colloq.]
12. Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. [Slang]
Snap back (Football), the act of snapping back the ball. -- Snap beetle, or Snap bug (Zoöl.), any beetle of the family Elateridæ, which, when laid on its back, is able to leap to a considerable height by means of a thoracic spring; -- called also snapping beetle. -- Snap flask (Molding), a flask for small work, having its sides separable and held together by latches, so that the flask may be removed from around the sand mold. -- Snap judgment, a judgment formed on the instant without deliberation. -- Snap lock, a lock shutting with a catch or snap. -- Snap riveting, riveting in which the rivets have snapheads formed by a die or swaging tool. -- Snap shot, a quick offhand shot, without deliberately taking aim.
Snap"drag`on (?), n. 1. (Bot.) (a) Any plant of the scrrophulariaceous genus Antirrhinum, especially the cultivated A. majus, whose showy flowers are fancifully likened to the face of a dragon. (b) A West Indian herb (Ruellia tuberosa) with curiously shaped blue flowers.
2. A play in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; also, that which is so eaten. See Flapdragon. Swift.
Snape (?), v. t. (Shipbuilding) To bevel the end of a timber to fit against an inclined surface.
Snap"hance` (?), n. [D. snaphaan a gun, originally, the snapping cock of a gun. See Snap, and Hen.] 1. A spring lock for discharging a firearm; also, the firearm to which it is attached. [Obs.]
2. A trifling or second-rate thing or person. [Obs.]
Snap"head` (?), n. A hemispherical or rounded head to a rivet or bolt; also, a swaging tool with a cavity in its face for forming such a rounded head.
Snap"per (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, snaps; as, a snapper up of trifles; the snapper of a whip.
2. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large sparoid food fishes of the genus Lutjanus, abundant on the southern coasts of the United States and on both coasts of tropical America.
The red snapper (Lutjanus aya, or Blackfordi) and the gray, or mangrove, snapper (L. griseus) are large and abundant species. The name is loosely applied to various other fishes, as the bluefish, the rosefish, the red grouper, etc. See Rosefish.
3. (Zoöl.) A snapping turtle; as, the alligator snapper.
4. (Zoöl.) The green woodpecker, or yaffle.
5. (Zoöl.) A snap beetle.
Snap"ping (?), a. & n. from Snap, v.
Snapping beetle. (Zoöl.) See Snap beetle, under Snap. -- Snapping turtle. (Zoöl.) (a) A large and voracious aquatic turtle (Chelydra serpentina) common in the fresh waters of the United States; -- so called from its habit of seizing its prey by a snap of its jaws. Called also mud turtle. (b) See Alligator snapper, under Alligator.
Snap"pish (?), a. 1. Apt to snap at persons or things; eager to bite; as, a snapping cur.
2. Sharp in reply; apt to speak angrily or testily; easily provoked; tart; peevish.
The taunting address of a snappish misanthrope.
Jeffrey.
-- Snap"pish*ly, adv. -- Snap"pish*ness, n.
Snap"py (?), a. Snappish. [Colloq.]
Snap"sack` (?), n. [Cf. Sw. snappsäck, G. schnappsack.] A knapsack. [Obs.] South.
Snap"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) See Impatiens.
Snar (?), v. i. [Akin to LG. & OD. snarren, G. schnarren, E. snore. See Snore, and cf. Snarl to growl.] To snarl. [Obs.] Spenser.
Snare (?), n. [AS. sneara cord, a string; akin to D. snoer, G. schnur, OHG. snour a cord, snarahha a noose, Dan. snare, Sw. & Icel. snara, Goth. sn&?;rj&?; a basket; and probably also to E. needle. See Needle, and cf. Snarl to entangle.] 1. A contrivance, often consisting of a noose of cord, or the like, by which a bird or other animal may be entangled and caught; a trap; a gin.
2. Hence, anything by which one is entangled and brought into trouble.
If thou retire, the Dauphin, well appointed, Stands with the snares of war to tangle thee.
Shak.
3. The gut or string stretched across the lower head of a drum.
4. (Med.) An instrument, consisting usually of a wireloop or noose, for removing tumors, etc., by avulsion.
Snare drum, the smaller common military drum, as distinguished from the bass drum; -- so called because (in order to render it more resonant) it has stretched across its lower head a catgut string or strings.
Snare, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Snaring.] To catch with a snare; to insnare; to entangle; hence, to bring into unexpected evil, perplexity, or danger.
Lest that too heavenly form . . . snare them.
Milton.
The mournful crocodile With sorrow snares relenting passengers.
Shak.
Snar"er (?), n. One who lays snares, or entraps.
Snarl (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snarled (?); p. pr. & vvb. n. Snarling.] [Etymol. uncertain.] To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface.
Snarl, v. t. [From Snare, v. t.] 1. To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots; as, to snarl a skein of thread. "Her snarled hair." Spenser.
2. To embarrass; to insnare.
[The] question that they would have snarled him with.
Latimer.
Snarl, n. A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle; entanglement; hence, intricate complication; embarrassing difficulty.
Snarl, v. i. [From Snar.] 1. To growl, as an angry or surly dog; to gnarl; to utter grumbling sounds. "An angry cur snarls while he feeds." Dryden & Lee.
2. To speak crossly; to talk in rude, surly terms.
It is malicious and unmanly to snarl at the little lapses of a pen, from which Virgil himself stands not exempted.
Dryden.
Snarl, n. The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.
Snarl"er (?), n. One who snarls; a surly, growling animal; a grumbling, quarrelsome fellow.
Snarl"er, n. One who makes use of a snarling iron.
Snarl"ing, a. & n. from Snarl, v.
Snarling iron, a tool with a long beak, used in the process of snarling. When one end is held in a vise, and the shank is struck with a hammer, the repercussion of the other end, or beak, within the article worked upon gives the requisite blow for producing raised work. See 1st Snarl.
Snar"y (?), a. [From Snare.] Resembling, or consisting of, snares; entangling; insidious.
Spiders in the vault their snary webs have spread.
Dryden.
Snast (?), n. [Cf. Snite, v. t.] The snuff, or burnt wick, of a candle. [Obs.] Bacon.
Snatch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snatched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Snatching.] [OE. snachen, snechen; akin to D. snakken to gasp, to long (for), to desire. Cf. Snack, n., Sneck.] 1. To take or seize hastily, abruptly, or without permission or ceremony; as, to snatch a loaf or a kiss.
When half our knowledge we must snatch, not take.
Pope.
2. To seize and transport away; to rap. "Snatch me to heaven." Thomson.
Syn. -- To twitch; pluck; grab; catch; grasp; gripe.
Snatch, v. i. To attempt to seize something suddenly; to catch; -- often with at; as, to snatch at a rope.
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Snatch (?), n. 1. A hasty catching or seizing; a grab; a catching at, or attempt to seize, suddenly.
2. A short period of vigorous action; as, a snatch at weeding after a shower. Tusser.
They move by fits and snatches.
Bp. Wilkins.
3. A small piece, fragment, or quantity; a broken part; a scrap.
We have often little snatches of sunshine.
Spectator.
Leave me your snatches, and yield me a direct answer.
Shak.
Snatch block (Naut.), a kind of block with an opening in one side to receive the bight of a rope.
Snatch"er (?), n. One who snatches, or takes abruptly.
Snatch"ing*ly, adv. By snatching; abruptly.
Snath (snth), n. [Cf. AS. snðan to cut, to mow, snd a bite, bit, snip.] The handle of a scythe; a snead. [Variously written in England snead, sneed, sneath, sneeth, snathe, etc.; in Scotland written sned.]
Snathe (sn), v. t. [Cf. Icel. sneiða to cut into alices, snða to cut; akin to AS. besndan, snðan, G. schneiden, OHG. sndan, Goth. sneiþan to cut, to reap, and E. snath, snithe.] To lop; to prune. [Prov. Eng.]
Snat"tock (snt"tk), n. [See Snathe.] A chip; a slice. [Prov. Eng.] Gayton.
Snaw (sn), n. Snow. [Obs. or Scot.] Burns.
Snead (snd), n. [See Snath.] 1. A snath.
2. A line or cord; a string. [Prov. Eng.]
Sneak (snk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sneaked (snkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Sneaking.] [OE. sniken, AS. sncan to creep; akin to Dan. snige sig; cf. Icel. snkja to hanker after.] 1. To creep or steal (away or about) privately; to come or go meanly, as a person afraid or ashamed to be seen; as, to sneak away from company.
You skulked behind the fence, and sneaked away.
Dryden.
2. To act in a stealthy and cowardly manner; to behave with meanness and servility; to crouch.
Sneak, v. t. To hide, esp. in a mean or cowardly manner. [Obs.] "[Slander] sneaks its head." Wake.
Sneak, n. 1. A mean, sneaking fellow.
A set of simpletons and superstitious sneaks.
Glanvill.
2. (Cricket) A ball bowled so as to roll along the ground; -- called also grub. [Cant] R. A. Proctor.
Sneak"-cup` (?), n. One who sneaks from his cups; one who balks his glass. [Obs.] Shak.
Sneak"er (?), n. 1. One who sneaks. Lamb.
2. A vessel of drink. [Prov. Eng.]
A sneaker of five gallons.
Spectator.
Sneak"i*ness (?), n. The quality of being sneaky.
Sneak"ing, a. Marked by cowardly concealment; deficient in openness and courage; underhand; mean; crouching. -- Sneak"ing*ly, adv. -- Sneak"ing*ness, n.
Sneaks"by (?), n. A paltry fellow; a sneak. [Obs.] "Such a bashful sneaksby." Barrow.
Sneak"y (?), n. Like a sneak; sneaking.
Sneap (?), v. t. [Cf. Icel. sneypa to dishonor, disgrace, chide, but also E. snip, and snub.] 1. To check; to reprimand; to rebuke; to chide. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
2. To nip; to blast; to blight. [Obs.]
Biron is like an envious, sneaping frost.
Shak.
Sneap, n. A reprimand; a rebuke. [Obs.]
My lord, I will not undergo this sneap without reply.
Shak.
{ Sneath (?), Sneathe (?) }, n. See Snath.
Sneb (?), v. t. [See Snib.] To reprimand; to sneap. [Obs.] "Scold and sneb the good oak." Spenser.
Sneck (?), v. t. [See Snatch.] To fasten by a hatch; to latch, as a door. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Sneck up, be silent; shut up; hold your peace. Shak.
Sneck, n. A door latch. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Sneck band, a latchstring. Burns. -- Sneck drawer, a latch lifter; a bolt drawer; hence, a sly person; a cozener; a cheat; -- called also sneckdraw. -- Sneck drawing, lifting the latch.
Sneck"et (?), n. A door latch, or sneck. [Prov. Eng.]
Sned (?), v. t. To lop; to snathe. [Prov. Eng.]
{ Sned (?), Sneed (?) }, n. See Snath.
Sneer (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sneered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sneering.] [OE. sneren, Dan. sn&?;rre to snarl or grin (like a dog); cf. Prov. E. sneer to grin, sner to snort, snert to sneer at. See Snore, v. i.] 1. To show contempt by turning up the nose, or by a particular facial expression.
2. To inssinuate contempt by a covert expression; to speak derisively.
I could be content to be a little sneared at.
Pope.
3. To show mirth awkwardly. [R.] Tatler.
Syn. -- To scoff; gibe; jeer. -- Sneer, Scoff, Jeer. The verb to sneer implies to cast contempt indirectly or by covert expressions. To jeer is stronger, and denotes the use of several sarcastic reflections. To scoff is stronger still, implying the use of insolent mockery and derision.
And sneers as learnedly as they, Like females o'er their morning tea.
Swift.
Midas, exposed to all their jeers, Had lost his art, and kept his ears.
Swift.
The fop, with learning at defiance, Scoffs at the pedant and science.
Gay.
Sneer, v. t. 1. To utter with a grimace or contemptuous expression; to utter with a sneer; to say sneeringly; as, to sneer fulsome lies at a person. Congreve.
"A ship of fools," he sneered.
Tennyson.
2. To treat with sneers; to affect or move by sneers.
Nor sneered nor bribed from virtue into shame.
Savage.
Sneer, n. 1. The act of sneering.
2. A smile, grin, or contortion of the face, indicative of contempt; an indirect expression or insinuation of contempt. "Who can refute a sneer?" Raley.
Sneer"er (?), n. One who sneers.
Sneer"ful (?), a. Given to sneering. [Obs.]
Sneer"ing*ly, adv. In a sneering manner.
Sneeze (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sneezed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sneezing.] [OE. snesen; of uncertain origin; cf. D. snuse to sniff, E. neese, and AS. fneósan.] To emit air, chiefly through the nose, audibly and violently, by a kind of involuntary convulsive force, occasioned by irritation of the inner membrane of the nose.
Not to be sneezed at, not to be despised or contemned; not to be treated lightly. [Colloq.] "He had to do with old women who were not to be sneezed at." Prof. Wilson.
Sneeze, n. A sudden and violent ejection of air with an audible sound, chiefly through the nose.
Sneeze"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A yellow-flowered composite plant (Helenium autumnale) the odor of which is said to cause sneezing.
Sneeze"wood` (?), n. (Bot.) The wood of a South African tree. See Neishout.
Sneeze"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A European herbaceous plant (Achillea Ptarmica) allied to the yarrow, having a strong, pungent smell.
Sneez"ing, n. (Physiol.) The act of violently forcing air out through the nasal passages while the cavity of the mouth is shut off from the pharynx by the approximation of the soft palate and the base of the tongue.
Snell (?), a. [AS. snell; akin to D. snel, G. schnell, OHG. snel, Icel. snjallr valiant.] Active; brisk; nimble; quick; sharp. [Archaic or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
That horny-handed, snell, peremptory little man.
Dr. J. Brown.
Snell, n. A short line of horsehair, gut, etc., by which a fishhook is attached to a longer line.