Also 4, 6 snak, 6 snacke. [Of doubtful origin: cf. MDu. or Flem. snacken to snap (of a dog), Norw. dial. snaka to snatch (of animals). The LG. and Du. snakken (G. dial. schnakken) to gasp, desire, etc., to talk or chatter, which agree in form, do not correspond in sense. The later senses are partly from SNACK sb.2]
1. intr. To bite or snap (esp. at a thing). Also fig. Only north. and Sc.
13[?]. Peter & Paul, 310, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 79. Sone come þare forthe dogges blak, & on Peter gon þai snak.
1520[?]. Dial. Creatures Moralysed, xlvi. Euery of them began to snak at othir & wolde haue torn eche other on smale pecys.
1570. Levins, Manip., 5. To Snacke, byte, morsitare.
1635. D. Dickson, Pract. Writ. (1845), I. 24. God will not … Captiously snack at his words.
1895. Crockett, Bog-Myrtle, V. ii. 366. He’ll no as muckle as snack at a flee that lichts on his nose.
1902. in Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v., The pony had never shown any vice … beyond snacking at the collar when put on.
b. trans. To snap up, seize upon, etc. Sc.
1871. Waddell, Ps. lxxviii. 63. His ain youngsters, the lowe snacket up.
1891. Barrie, Little Minister, xvii. In the tail o’ the day ane o’ them snacked him up.
2. trans. To share, divide. ? Obs.
1707. E. Ward, Hud. Rediv., II. X. 26. Unless they are allow’d to snack The Booty which they jointly take.
1733. Revolution Politicks, VII. 73. ’Tis to be feared, the Guards and the Highwaymen snack’d the Booty.
1745. Life B. M. Carew, 105. At this Alehouse they tarried some time, and snack’d the Argot, i. e. shared the Money.
absol. 1675. Wycherley, Country Wife, III. ii. Who is that that is to be bubbled? Faith! let me snack.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Crossbite, to draw in a Friend, yet snack with the Sharper.
1768. [W. Donaldson], Life Sir B. Sapskull, I. iv. 41. If our ministers were as poor and beggarly as the Dutch, they might have snack’d with these illegal executors.
1853. Cooper, Sussex Gloss., 76. Snack, to share or be in partnership with.
3. intr. To lunch, to take a snack.
1807. Sir R. Colt Hoare, Tour in Ireland, 35. At BIRR, is a good inn,… where I snacked. [Note.] Snack is in Ireland synonimous, with lunch in England.
1894. A. Morrison, Mean Streets, 90. The snacking women resumed their talk.
