1832, "to go around in a prying manner," Amer.Eng., "to appropriate," probably from Du. snoepen "to pry," also "eat in secret, eat sweets, sneak," probably related to snappen "to bite, snatch" (see snap). Specific meaning "to pry into other people's business" is attested from
1921. The noun meaning "detective" is recorded from 1891. Snoopy (adj.) first recorded 1895.
in. to prowl around looking for something. : What are you snooping around here for?
n. someone who prowls around looking for something. : Fred is just a snoop. He went through my desk!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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