Obs. Also 8 snigger-, sneaker-, sneeker-. [f. as prec.] intr. To fight with knives; to use a knife as a weapon. Hence † Snickersneeing vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
Cf. the mod. Linc. dial. snickersneeze, used in threatening children (‘If you do that, I’ll snickersneeze you’).
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 119. Boxing among the English; Snicker-Sneeing among the Dutch.
1704. N. N., trans. Boccalini’s Advts. fr. Parnass., III. 16. But when the Officers came to inforce the Execution of this Decree upon the Dutch, they were ready to fall to Snigger Snee with ’em about it.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull, IV. vii. He pull’d out a Case-knife, with which he used to sneaker-snee, and threaten’d to cut his own Throat.
1738. [G. Smith], Curious Relat., I. iii. 443. He that acted the Character of the Insolent Sailor, humour’d it to the Life…: He wanted to fight, or Sneeker-snee.
1778. Bridges, Homer Trav. (1797), II. 268. An ugly dream, Wherein a Dutch-built thief did seem To shake a snickersneeing knife.
