[f. SNEAK v.]
1. A person or animal who sneaks; a sneak.
1598. Florio, Origlione, an eauesdropper, a listner,… a sneaker, a lurking knaue.
c. 1613. Middleton, No Wit like Woman’s, IV. ii. I thought they were some such sneakers.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. ii. IV. i. (1651), 519. A long lean rawbone, a skeleton, a sneaker.
1715. Hearne, Collect. (O.H.S.), V. 66. He being one of the Sneakers and terribly afraid of disobliging the debauched Court of K. George.
a. 1734. North, Examen, III. viii. § 37 (1740), 611. The Courtiers that were more used to Sneakers, than to Men of clear Courage.
1800. Coleridge, Piccolomini, II. xiv. Not a sneaker among us, thank heaven.
1826. Scott, Jrnl., 7 March. We have more sneakers after Ministerial favour than men who love their country.
1865. Livingstone, Zambesi, vii. 161. He soon departed and we heard no more of the majestic sneaker.
2. † a. A small bowl (of punch). Obs. (Common from c. 1710 to c. 1740.)
(a) a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Sneaker, (of Punch) a small Bowl.
1726. G. Roberts, Four Years Voy., 71. He would take me on Board the Scooner with him, to treat me with a Sneaker of Punch before parting.
1743. Fielding, J. Wild, II. iv. He called for a sneaker of punch.
1772. in Jas. Forbes, Oriental Mem. (1813), IV. 217. He then ordered five sneakers of a mixture which he denominated punch.
(b) 1714. Spect., No. 616, ¶ 4. I have just left the Right Worshipful and his Myrmidons about a Sneaker of Five Gallons.
1742. Fielding, J. Andrews, I. xiii. Mr. Barnabas … having … drank a bowl of punch…, returned to take the other sneaker; which when he had finished [etc.].
1775. S. J. Pratt, Liberal Opin., lxxxviii. (1783), III. 157. A little snug place … where we might take a friendly sneaker together.
b. A glass of brandy.
1805. Ramsay, Scotl. & Scotsmen 18th C. (1888), II. 293. He had a small sneaker of brandy before retiring to his bedroom.
1821. Blackw. Mag., IX. 60. Step to the corner and fetch me a sneaker of brandy.
3. U.S. colloq. = SNEAK sb. 4.
1895. in Funk’s Stand. Dict.
4. Cricket. = SNEAK sb. 3.
1909. in Cent. Dict. Suppl.
