| Front | snickersnee \SNIH-ker-snee\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun A large knife or sword. [Back when pirates were swashbuckling around the seven seas, clashing their swords and slashing with knives, it was "steake or snye"— that was the English variation on a Dutch term meaning "thrust and cut." "Steake or snye" was modified into "stick or snee," and eventually into "snick or snee," used both as a verb ("to fight with knives") and a noun ("a fight with knives"). By 1700, the phrase had been compressed into the single word "snickersnee." It was still used as a verb for fighting with knives at that point, but by 1780 its use was limited primarily to a noun naming the knife used in such clashes. In modern times the word is sometimes used figuratively, as in our example sentence or in phrases like "the snickersnee of satire."] |
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