Dictionary

snudge en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /snʌd͡ʒ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

The origin of the verb is unknown. The noun is possibly derived from the verb.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, obsolete) A greedy, stingy person; a miser.
   • And thus your huſbandrye me thincke, is more like the life of a couetous ſnudge that ofte very euill preues, then the labour of a good huſbãde [husbande] that knoweth well what he doth. 1545, Roger Ascham, “The First Booke”, in Toxophilus, the Schole, or Partitions of Shooting […], [new] edition, London: […] Thomas Marshe, published 1571, →OCLC, folio 2, recto:
   • Iſſue therefore forth amongſt good fellovvs, that vvill ſooner fight for thee, then thoſe ſnudges & miſerable cormorants that novv feede vpon thee. 1609, Thomas Dekker, “The Pittifull Petition of Vintners, Victuallers, Inkeepers, &c. without the Barres”, in Worke for Armorours: or, The Peace is Broken. […], London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Nathaniel Butter […], →OCLC, signature G, verso:
   • Hiſtories are no ſnudges in matters of note: […] 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), [London]: [s.n.], [1870], →OCLC, page 164:
2. (intransitive, obsolete) A dishonest and sneaky person.
   • […] I 'll lay Five Pounds to a Hazelnut, the foul Thief has the very Looks of Gripe-me-now. […] [T]hou 'rt the right; for if we but examin that treacherous Review's ill-favour'd Phiz, we find that the filthy Snudge is yet more mischievous and ignorant than these ignorant Wretches here; […] 1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart, Peter Anthony Motteux], “How Pantagruel Came to the Island of the Apedefers, or Ignoramus’s, with Long Claws, and Crooked Paws, and of Terrible Adventures and Monsters there”, in The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC; republished in volume II, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC, 5th book, pages 309–310:
   • And in that ſlepe (me thought) I heard the tunes / Of ſullen paſſions apt for Funerals, / And ſaw my Fathers liueleſſe body borne / By Satyres: O I feare that deitie / Hath ſtolne him hence, that Snudge his deſtinie. 1599 November–December (date written), Thomas Dekker, The Pleasant Comedie of Old Fortunatus. […], London: […] S. S. for William Aspley, […], published 1600, →OCLC, signature [E4], recto:

Forms

Deriveds

snidge · snudgery

Relateds

snuch

snudge en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /snʌd͡ʒ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

The origin of the verb is unknown. The noun is possibly derived from the verb.

Meanings

1. (also, intransitive, obsolete, transitive, with the dummy pronoun it) To save in a miserly manner; to hoard.
   • Manger ſon avoine en ſon ſac. To ſnudge it; or churliſhly to eat all his meat all alone; (from Moyles [mules], vvho haue bags of prouender hung ſo cloſe to their noſes, that none but themſelues can come at it.) 1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Avoine”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, signature H, recto, column 2:
   • Ill huſbandry trudgeth with vnthrifts about, / good huſbandry ſnudgeth for feare of a dout. 1570, Thomas Tusser, “Comparing Good Husband with Vnthrift His Brother, the Better Descerneth the Tone from the Tother”, in A Hundrethe Good Pointes of Husbandrie, Lately Maried vnto a Hundrethe Good Points of Huswifry Newly Corrected and Amplified […], revised edition, London: […] [Henry Denham? for] Rychard Tottyl, published 1571, →OCLC, stanza 2, folio 22, verso:
2. (dialectal, intransitive, obsolete, qualifier:except UK) Also followed by along: to walk with one's head down; to walk with a stoop.
   • [T]o Snudge along, to go like an old Snudge, or like one vvhoſe Head is full of buſineſs, […] [1687–1688, Guy Miege, “to Snudge along”, in The Great French Dictionary. […], London: […] J. Redmayne, for Tho[mas] Basset, […], →OCLC, signature Qqq3, verso, column 1:

Forms

Deriveds

snudging

snudge en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /snʌd͡ʒ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Origin unknown, possibly related to snug.

Meanings

1. (dialectal, intransitive, obsolete, qualifier:obsolete except UK) To lie quiet and snug; to nestle, to snuggle.
   • to snudge over a fire
   • Novv he vvill fight it out, and to the vvarres; / Novv eat his bread in peace, / And ſnudge in quiet: novv he ſcorns increaſe; / Novv all day ſpares. [1633], George Herbert, “Giddinesse”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC, page 120:

Forms