Dictionary

snickelway en · NOUN

Etymology

Blend of snicket + ginnel + alleyway. Coined by Mark W. Jones in 1983 in his book A Walk Around the Snickelways of York.

Meanings

1. (Yorkshire) A narrow alley between buildings.
   • Follow Main Street, heading for St Mary’s Church, then go left down a snickelway (7) past the churchyard, which contains a railed obelisk in memory of Dr John Crosby, a good friend of Branwell Bronte. 2016 April 26, “Walk: Scenic North Yorkshire villages round the river”, in Harrogate Advertiser:
   • True, as you worm your way deeper into the Old Town, the streets become narrower and more labyrinthine, connected by a capillary system of snickelways and side courts, where the gable-overhangs become so extreme that daylight bareley hits the cobblestones below. 2011, Jonathan Stroud, The Golem's Eye, Random House, →ISBN, page 271:
   • Soak up the city's history while exploring its maze of ancient streets and snickelways (hidden alleyways); you can get everywhere on foot and see many attractions in just a day. 2010, Donald Olson, London For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, York: Ancient Walls and Snickelways, page 286:

Forms

Synonyms

alley