snirt

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snɜː(ɹ)t/

• Audio (Southern England)

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Etymology 1

Origin uncertain. Either from Middle English snurten (“to sneer; snort, snore”), a variation of snorten (“to snort”); or from Middle English *snyrten, an alteration of fnyrten, fnerten, from Old English fnǣrettan. Compare also Norwegian snurt (“vexed, peevish”), Middle English snirt (“stern, gloomy”).

Verb

snirt (third-person singular simple present snirts, present participle snirting, simple past and past participle snirted)

1. (Scotland) To give a suppressed laugh or sharp intake of breath.
   • 1833, Anonymous, writing in The Dublin University Magazine: A Literary and Political Journal, page 575, "Willie and Pate":

     "He grins, and snirts, and thraws ye ken —
     I maist could die, wi' laughin."

   • 1837, James Hogg, “Katie Cheyne”, in Tales and Sketches, page 172:

     "But ye see there was a great deal of blushing and snirting, and bits of made coughs, as if to keep down a thorough guffau."

   • 1871, William Black, A daughter of Heth: A novel, page 160:

     The Whaup grew very red in the face, and ‘snirted’ with laughter."

Noun

snirt (plural snirts)

1. (Scotland) A suppressed laugh; a sharp intake of breath.

Derived terms

• snirtle

Etymology 2

Blend of snow +‎ dirt

Noun

snirt (uncountable)

1. (Canada, US) Snow that is dirty, often seen by the side of roads and parking lots that have been plowed.
   • 1975, United States House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Related Agencies, Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1976‎^[1], page 175:

     We then have what we call ‘snirt’ storms.

   • 1985, United States House Committee on Agriculture, General Farm Bill of 1985: Hearings Before the Committee on Agriculture‎^[2], page 924:

     Snirt or a mixture of snow and dirt is the term popularly applied to the windrows of dirt along the roads during a Minnesota winter.

   • 1997, William S. Burroughs, Last Words, Grove Press, →ISBN, page 73:

     ‘Snirt’ is a thing of the spring.

   • 2004, Dean Norman, Studio Cards: Funny Greeting Cards and People Who Created Them, Trafford Publishing,, →ISBN, page 131:

     […] it wasn't a hard winter. Only a couple of blizzards and snirt and snuss storms.

Derived terms

• snirty

Anagrams

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