Sc. [f. SNAPPER v.1] A stumble or trip. Freq. fig., a slip in conduct; a fault or error; a scrape or difficulty.
a. 1572. Knox, Hist. Ref., Wks. 1846, I. 79. Forresse war runne upon the day to Smallame … and such place nere about, but many snapparis thei gate.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 340. This king dies … throuch the vehement snapper of a Wantount horse.
1629. Z. Boyd, Last Battell, 190. I am not like these sinners which but trip and stumble, and rise again after a snapper.
17[?]. Ramsay, Epil. to ‘The Drummer,’ 8. Men of sense will kindly praise us, And, if we make a little snapper, raise us.
a. 1732. T. Boston, Crook in Lot (1805), 164. They were only so [over-rash] in applying the time to the promise; a snapper that saints in all ages have made.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xx. Advocate Langtale has brought folk through waur snappers than a’ this.
