English edit

Etymology 1 edit

From an alteration (perhaps due to giggle) of snigger, itself a variant of snicker.

Verb edit

sniggle (third-person singular simple present sniggles, present participle sniggling, simple past and past participle sniggled)

  1. (intransitive) To chortle or chuckle; snicker.
    • 1864, Elizabeth Gaskell, Cousin Phillis:
      Ay! you see you'll laugh at the bare thought on it — and I'll be bound th' minister, though he's not a laughing man, would ha' sniggled at th' notion of falling in love wi' the child.

Etymology 2 edit

 
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Sniggling equipment

See snig (a kind of eel) +‎ -le (frequentative verbal suffix).

Verb edit

sniggle (third-person singular simple present sniggles, present participle sniggling, simple past and past participle sniggled)

  1. (intransitive) To fish for eels by thrusting a baited needle or hook into their dens.
    • [2012 December 1, “Transparent gold”, in The Economist[1], →ISSN:
      But rampant poaching (the correct term for catching a grown-up eel with bait is to “sniggle”, though elvers are caught with something more like a giant sieve) is now prompting authorities to crack down well in advance of next year’s season.]
  2. (transitive) To catch by this means.
  3. (transitive, figurative) To ensnare.
Derived terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

From an alteration of snag +‎ -le.

Verb edit

sniggle (third-person singular simple present sniggles, present participle sniggling, simple past and past participle sniggled)

  1. (obsolete) To steal something of little value.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:steal

References edit

Anagrams edit