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Sniggle

verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To chortle or chuckle; snicker. intransitive

    "Ay! you see you'll laugh at the bare thought on it — and I'll be bound th' minister, though he's not a laughing man, would ha' sniggled at th' notion of falling in love wi' the child."

  2. 2
    To fish for eels by thrusting a baited needle or hook into their dens. intransitive

    "But rampant poaching (the correct term for catching a grown-up eel with bait is to “sniggle”, though elvers are caught with something more like a giant sieve) is now prompting authorities to crack down well in advance of next year’s season."

  3. 3
    To steal something of little value. obsolete
  4. 4
    To catch by this means. transitive
  5. 5
    To ensnare. figuratively, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From an alteration (perhaps due to giggle) of snigger, itself a variant of snicker.

Etymology 2

See snig (“a kind of eel”) + -le (frequentative verbal suffix).

Etymology 3

From snig or an alteration of snag + -le.

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