Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To cut with short strokes; snip.
  • intransitive verb To make a small cut in; nick.
  • intransitive verb To cause (something) to click.
  • intransitive verb To snip.
  • intransitive verb To make a nick or nicks.
  • intransitive verb To click.
  • noun A cut made by snicking.
  • noun A clicking sound.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small cut; a snip; a nick.
  • noun In cricket, a hit in which the bat is but slightly moved, the ball glancing off it.
  • noun A knot or kink, as in yarn or thread where it is twisted too tightly.
  • To cut; clip; snip; nick.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A small cut or mark.
  • noun (Cricket) A slight hit or tip of the ball, often unintentional.
  • noun (Fiber) A knot or irregularity in yarn.
  • noun (Furriery) A snip or cut, as in the hair of a beast.
  • noun [Obs.] a combat with knives.
  • Prov. Eng. & Scot. See sneck.
  • shut up; silenced. See Sneck up, under Sneck.
  • transitive verb To cut slightly; to strike, or strike off, as by cutting.
  • transitive verb (Cricket) To hit (a ball) lightly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To cut or snip
  • verb cricket to hit the ball with the edge of the bat, causing a slight deflection
  • noun cricket a small deflection of the ball off the side of the bat; often carries to the wicketkeeper for a catch
  • verb to make something click, to make a clicking noise
  • noun a sharp clicking sound
  • verb Alternative form of sneck.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a glancing contact with the ball off the edge of the cricket bat
  • verb hit a glancing blow with the edge of the bat
  • verb cut slightly, with a razor
  • noun a small cut

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Imitative.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably from snick or snee.

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Examples

  • And with the click came another small sound, a brittle sound, barely heard; a sound like "snick," The trap was sprung.

    Finnegan teoriza la practica de cuerdas Carlos G.Tonda 2010

  • You'd hear a kind of snick, and see a bit of dust and plaster drop from the wall, and a hole appear that the plaster dropped out of.

    "THE WAR" -- EXCERPT FROM "GINNY BATES" Maggie Jochild 2007

  • From the minute I'd heard the "snick" of the tiny padlock securing it at my throat I'd wanted it off.

    Touch of Evil 2006

  • The gearboxes were also spot-on, with every shift coming not only crisply and precisely but also with a certain mechanical "snick" that's lacking in, say, a Civic from Honda Motors.

    2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata Michael Frank 2006

  • I turned the key and heard the elevator lock "snick" into place.

    Touch of Evil 2006

  • Meiklejohn received three bullets through his upper right arm, one through the right forearm, a finger blown away, a bullet through the left thigh, two bullets through the helmet, a "snick" in the neck, while his sword and scabbard were literally shot to pieces.

    South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 2 (of 6) From the Commencement of the War to the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899 Louis Creswicke

  • Almost simultaneously there was a sharp metallic "snick," an electric bulb hanging from the ceiling flamed out luminously, a cupboard door flashed open, a voice cried out in joyous, perfect English: "Thank God for a man!"

    Cleek, the Master Detective Thomas W. Hanshew 1885

  • Almost simultaneously there was a sharp metallic "snick," an electric bulb hanging from the ceiling flamed out luminously, a cupboard door flashed open, a voice cried out in joyous, perfect English: "Thank God for a man!"

    Cleek: the Man of the Forty Faces Thomas W. Hanshew 1885

  • His name is Charles Sherrod, and he was an early leader of the Student Non-Violent Coodinating Commitee, or SNCC (pronounced "snick").

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed 2010

  • His name is Charles Sherrod, and he was an early leader of the Student Non-Violent Coodinating Commitee, or SNCC (pronounced "snick").

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed 2010

Comments

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  • "snick snack snorum!" -The Sword in the Stone

    September 26, 2009