snatch squad
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away. 2 [usually pl.] a short period of time or activity: I slept
in snatches (=waking up often) during the night. 3 [off] a
short and incomplete part of something that is seen or
heard: to overhear a snatch of conversation
'snatch squad n a group of policemen who go into a crowd
of people and ARREST someone quickly and suddenly
snaz·zy /'snæzi/ adj infml good-looking or attractive in a neat
stylish or showy way: a snazzy suit —zily adv: snazzily
dressed
sneak¹ /sni:k/ v snuck /snʌk/ AmE 1 [I+adv/prep] to go quietly
and secretly, so as not to be seen: I managed to sneak past the
guard. | We sneaked round to the back door. 2 [T] infml to steal
secretly or cleverly: The boy was caught sneaking an apple
from a shop. | (fig.) I managed to sneak a look at the report on
her desk. 3 [(on)] BrE derog slang (used by schoolchildren) to
give information, especially to a teacher, about the wrongdo-
ings of others
sneak up phr v [(on, behind)] to come near silently, keeping
out of sight until the last moment: Don't sneak up on me like
that! You gave me quite a shock!
sneak² n 1 BrE derog slang a person who SNEAKS 2 AmE a
person who SNEAKS or sneaks up
sneak³ adj coming quickly or unexpectedly: a sneak attack
sneak·er /'sni:kər/ n AmE an informal shoe with a rubber
SOLE and leather or strong cloth around the foot ➔ see PAIR
(USAGE)
sneak·ing /'sni:kɪŋ/ adj [A] 1 secret; not openly expressed: I
don't like her at all, but I can't help having a sneaking
admiration for what she's done. 2 (of a feeling or belief) not
proved but probably right: I had a sneaking suspicion the
plan wouldn't work.
,sneak 'preview n [off] a chance to look at something new,
especially a film, before anyone else or any member of the
public has seen it
'sneak thief n a thief who steals things quietly and quickly
and without using force, especially from public places
sneak·y /'sni:ki/ adj derog acting or done secretly and deceit-
fully, especially in a clever way —ily adv —iness n [U]
sneer¹ /snɪər/ v [I] 1 to smile or laugh with a curl of the lips;
to express proud dislike and disrespect 2 [at)] to speak or
behave as if something is not worthy of serious attention:
Don't sneer at their religion. —ingly adv
sneer² n a sneering look or remark
sneeze¹ /sni:z/ v [I] 1 to have a sudden uncontrolled burst
of air out of the nose, usually caused by discomfort in the
nose: The dust made him sneeze. | The baby keeps sneezing –
she must be getting a cold. | a fit of sneezing
CULTURAL NOTE When a person sneezes, it is polite to say
'Bless you!' or (especially in the US) 'Gesundheit'. The
person who has sneezed usually replies 'Thank you'.
2 not to be sneezed at infml, often humor worthy of considera-
tion; not to be considered unfavourably: An offer of £1000
tax-free is not to be sneezed at.
sneeze² n an act, sound etc, of sneezing. The sound made
by a sneeze is expressed in writing by the word 'Atishoo!', or
sometimes 'Achoo!'
snick /snɪk/ v [T] BrE 1 to make a small cut or mark on;
NICK 2 (in cricket) to hit (the ball) off the edge of the BAT
—snick n
snick·er /'snɪkər/ v, n especially AmE for SNIGGER ➔ see LAUGH
(USAGE)
Snick·ers /'snɪkəz||-ərz/ trademark a type of chocolate bar
that has PEANUTS, CARAMEL, and NOUGAT inside it
snide /snaɪd/ adj expressing an unfavourable opinion in a
way that is usually indirect but unpleasant and hurts peo-
ple's feelings: He was always making snide remarks about her
cooking. —ly adv —ness n [U]
sniff¹ /snɪf/ v 1 [I] to draw air into the nose with a sound,
especially in short repeated actions. Many British people
consider it rude to sniff in public: His mother told him to stop
sniffing and blow his nose. 2 [at); T] to do this in order to
discover a smell in or on: He sniffed the crisp morning air. |
The dog sniffed at the lamppost. ➔ compare SMELL 3 [T] to
say in a proud complaining way: 'I expected something rather
nicer,' she sniffed. ➔ see also SNIFFY 4 [T] also snort — to
take (a harmful drug) through the nose: sniffing cocaine ➔
see also GLUE-SNIFFING —er n
sniff at sthg. phr v [T] to dislike or refuse proudly: Such a
good offer is not to be sniffed at.
sniff out sthg. phr v [T] infml to discover or find out (as if) by
smelling: Police sent dogs into the crowd to sniff out drugs. |
(fig.) trying to sniff out the cause of the problem
sniff² n an act or sound of sniffing: He gave a loud sniff. | Is
this milk OK? Here, have a sniff.
'sniffer dog n a dog that has been trained by the police to
find drugs and explosives by smelling them
snif·fle¹ /'snɪfl/ v [I] to sniff repeatedly in order to keep
liquid from running out of the nose, especially when one is
crying or has a cold: For goodness sake, stop sniffling! —fler
n
sniffle² n 1 an act or sound of sniffing 2 also sniffles pl. infml
the signs of a cold in the nose; liquid blocking or running
from the nose: It's not a real cold, only a sniffle. | Little
Sharon's got the sniffles again.
sniff·y /'snɪfi/ adj Infml 1 unpleasantly proud by habit 2 showing signs of dislike or disapproval; DISDAINFUL:
She was rather sniffy about my suggestion, so I didn't pursue
it.
snif·ter /'snɪftər/ n 1 old-fash infml, especially BrE a small amount
of an alcoholic drink 2 AmE a bowl-like glass that grows
narrower at the top, on a short STEM, for drinking BRANDY ➔
see picture at GLASS
snig·ger¹ /'snɪgər/ especially BrE || snicker especially AmE — v
[I(at)] usually derog to laugh quietly or secretly in a disrespectful
way: The children sniggered at the old lady's strange hat. ➔
see LAUGH (USAGE)
snigger² especially BrE || snicker especially AmE — n usually derog
an act or sound of sniggering
snip¹ /snɪp/ n 1 [C] a short quick cut with scissors: Make a
snip in the cloth here. 2 [S] BrE infml an article for sale at a
surprisingly cheap price; BARGAIN: At £20 for a dozen, they're a
snip. 3 have the snip BrE infml to have a VASECTOMY ➔ see
also SNIPS
snip² v -pp- [T(OFF)] to cut (as if) with scissors, especially in
short quick strokes: She snipped off the string and untied the
parcel. | He snipped off the corner of the packet.
snipe¹ /'snaɪp/ v [I(at)] 1 to shoot from a hidden position at
unprotected people, such as an enemy not in battle 2 to say
nasty things; make an unpleasant attack in words —sniper
n: The army patrol was picked off by snipers.
snipe² n pl. snipe or snipes 1 a bird with a very long thin
beak that lives in wet places and is often shot for
sport 2 AmE derog a strongly disliked person
snip·pet /'snɪpɪt/ n [off] infml a small bit of something,
especially a short piece from something spoken or written: I
managed to overhear a few interesting snippets of informa-
tion.
snip·py /'snɪpi/ adj AmE infml quick to show anger, offence, or
disobedience
snips /snɪps/ BrE || tin shears AmE — n [P] heavy scissors for
cutting metal sheets ➔ see PAIR (USAGE)
snit /snɪt/ n [S] AmE infml an angry state of mind, especially
one which the speaker thinks is unnecessary: She's been in a
snit since I took the car without telling her.
snitch¹ /snɪtʃ/ v infml 1 [(on)] derog to tell about the wrong-
doings of a friend 2 [T] to steal (especially something
unimportant and of small value) by taking quickly
snitch² n BrE infml, usually humor nose
sniv·el /'snɪvəl/ v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [I] to act or speak in a weak
complaining crying way: I've warned you. If you fail, don't
come snivelling back to me. | a snivelling coward —ler BrE
—er AmE n
snob /snɒb||snɑ:b/ n derog 1 a person who pays too much
attention to social class, and dislikes or keeps away from
people of a lower class 2 a person who is too proud of
having special knowledge or judgment in the stated subject
and thinks that something liked by many people is no good:
a musical snob who only likes Mozart | It's not really a very
good make of car, but it does have a certain snob value/snob
appeal. (=it is greatly admired by a particular set of people)