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sniggle

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sniggle¹

  • /ˈsnɪ.ɡəl/

Where it comes from

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

verb sniggles · sniggling · sniggled

  1. intransitive To chortle or chuckle; snicker. 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.

sniggle²

  • /ˈsnɪ.ɡəl/

Where it comes from

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

verb sniggles · sniggling · sniggled

  1. intransitive To fish for eels by thrusting a baited needle or hook into their dens. 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. figuratively, transitive To ensnare.

sniggle³

  • /ˈsnɪ.ɡəl/

Where it comes from

From snig or an alteration of snag + -le.

verb sniggles · sniggling · sniggled

  1. obsolete To steal something of little value.

    Similar: steal, abduct, abstract, appropriate, bag, bandit, bash and grab, bone, boost, burgle, burglarize, borrow

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Cite this
MLA

"sniggle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sniggle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sniggle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sniggle

Chicago

"sniggle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sniggle.

BibTeX
@misc{sniggle_2026,
  title = {sniggle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sniggle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}