to make a sudden, sharp, distinct sound; crack, as a whip; crackle.
2.
to click, as a mechanism or the jaws or teeth coming together.
3.
to move, strike, shut, catch, etc., with a sharp sound, as a door, lid, or lock.
4.
to break suddenly, esp. with a sharp, cracking sound, as something slender and brittle: The branch snapped.
5.
to act or move with quick or abrupt motions of the body: to snap to attention.
6.
Photography. to take a photograph, esp. without formal posing of the subject.
7.
to make a quick or sudden bite or grab (often fol. by at).
8.
to utter a quick, sharp sentence or speech, esp. a command, reproof, retort, etc. (often fol. by at).
9.
to be radiant; sparkle; flash, as the eyes.
–verb (used with object)
10.
to seize with or take, buy, or obtain as with a quick bite or grab (fol. by up or off): The bargains were snapped up.
11.
to secure, judge, vote, etc., hastily: They snapped the bill through Congress.
12.
to cause to make a sudden, sharp sound: to snap one's fingers.
13.
to crack (a whip).
14.
to bring, strike, shut, open, operate, etc., with a sharp sound or movement: to snap a lid down.
15.
to address or interrupt (a person) quickly and sharply.
16.
to say or utter (words, a command, a retort, etc.) in a quick, sharp manner: to snap complaints.
17.
to break suddenly, esp. with a cracking sound: to snap a stick in half.
18.
Photography. to take a photograph of, esp. quickly.
19.
Building Trades. to transfer (a line) to a surface by means of a chalk line.
20.
Football. to put (the ball) into play by tossing it back to the quarterback or other member of the offensive backfield, esp. from between the legs when bent over double and facing the line of scrimmage; center.
21.
Hunting. to fire (a shot) quickly, esp. without raising the gun to aim from the eye.
–noun
22.
a quick, sudden action or movement, as the flick of a whip or the breaking of a twig.
23.
a short, sharp sound, as that caused by breaking a twig or closing a latch.
24.
a catch or fastener that closes by pressure and clicks together.
25.
Informal. briskness, vigor, or energy: That song has a lot of snap.
26.
a quick, sharp speech or manner of speaking: He uttered his commands with a snap.
27.
a quick or sudden bite or grab, as at something: The fish ate with little snaps.
28.
something obtained by or as by biting or grabbing: a snap of food.
29.
a brittle cookie.
30.
a short spell or period, as of cold weather: an unexpected cold snap.
31.
Photography. a snapshot.
32.
Informal. an easy, profitable, or agreeable position, piece of work, or the like: This job is a snap.
33.
Football. the act or an instance of snapping the ball.
34.
a snap bean.
35.
Informal. a snapdragon.
36.
British. a packed lunch, as that carried by a worker or traveler.
–adjective
37.
fastening or closing with a click or snap, as a device fitted with a spring catch: a snap lock.
38.
made, done, taken, etc., suddenly or offhand: a snap judgment.
39.
easy or simple.
–adverb
40.
in a brisk, sudden manner.
—Verb phrase
41.
snap to,
a.
to come to attention: The troops snapped to when the colonel walked in.
b.
to shape up: If you don't snap to and study, you'll flunk the course.
—Idioms
42.
not give or care a snap of one's fingers for, to regard with indifference; treat lightly. Also, not give or care a snap.
To make a brisk sharp cracking sound: "Logs snapped in the grate"(James Fox).
To break suddenly with a brisk, sharp, cracking sound.
To give way abruptly under pressure or tension: With so many people crowding onto the platform, its supports snapped.
To suffer a physical or mental breakdown, especially while under stress: feared that the troops would snap from fatigue.
To bring the jaws briskly together, often with a clicking sound; bite.
To snatch or grasp suddenly and with eagerness: snap at a chance to go to China.
To speak abruptly or sharply: snapped at the child.
To move swiftly and smartly: snap to attention. See Synonyms at jerk1.
To flash or appear to flash light; sparkle: eyes that snapped with anger.
To open, close, or fit together with a click: The lock snapped shut. The jacket snaps in front.
v.
tr.
To snatch at with or as if with the teeth; bite.
To pull apart or break with a snapping sound.
To utter abruptly or sharply: The sergeant snapped out a command.
To cause to emit a snapping sound: snap a whip.
To close or latch with a snapping sound: snapped the purse shut.
To take (a photograph).
To photograph: snapped the winner on the podium.
To cause to move abruptly and smartly: "His head was snapped back by a sudden scream from the bed"(James Michener).
To take (a photograph).
To photograph: snapped the winner on the podium.
Football To center (a football); hike.
n.
A sudden sharp cracking sound or the action producing such a sound.
A sudden breaking.
A clasp, catch, or other fastening device that operates with a snapping sound.
A sudden attempt to bite, snatch, or grasp.
The sound produced by rapid movement of a finger from the thumb tip to the base of the thumb.
The act of producing this sound.
Capacity to make a snapping sound; elasticity: This waistband has lost its snap.
Informal Briskness, liveliness, or energy.
A snapshot.
The taking of a snapshot.
The sudden release of something held under pressure or tension.
A thin, crisp, usually circular cookie: a ginger snap.
Capacity to make a snapping sound; elasticity: This waistband has lost its snap.
Informal Briskness, liveliness, or energy.
A snapshot.
The taking of a snapshot.
A brief spell of brisk, cold weather.
Something accomplished without effort. See Synonyms at breeze1.
A snapshot.
The taking of a snapshot.
A snap bean.
Football The passing of a football from the center to a back that initiates each play. Also called hike.
adj.
Made or done suddenly, with little or no preparation: a snap decision.
Fastening with a snap: snap pockets.
Informal Simple; easy: a snap assignment.
adv.
With a snap.
Phrasal Verb(s): snap back
To recover quickly.
snap to
To pay attention or begin complying abruptly.
snap up
To acquire quickly: snapped up the tickets.
Idiom(s):
snap out of it Informal
To move quickly back to one's normal condition from an undesirable condition, such as depression, grief, or self-pity.
[Probably from Middle English snappe, a quick bite, probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch snappen, to seize, snap.]
1495, "quick, sudden bite or cut," from Du. or Low Ger. snappen "to snap," probably related to M.L.G. or M.Du. snavel "bill, beak" (see nib). Sense of "quick movement" is first recorded 1631; that of "something easily done" is 1877. Common in compounds to indicate instantaneous action (cf. cold snap, 1829). The card game is attested from 1882. Phrase snap out of it first recorded 1928. Snap judgment is attested from 1841. Snappy "quick, energetic" is from 1831.
1530, "to make a quick bite" (of animals), from snap (n.). Meaning "to break suddenly or sharply" is first recorded 1602; the mental sense is from 1970s. U.S. football sense first recorded 1887. Snapping turtle is attested from 1784. To snap the fingers is from 1671. Snappish "peevish" is first recorded 1542.
the act of catching an object with the hands; "Mays made the catch with his back to the plate"; "he made a grab for the ball before it landed"; "Martin's snatch at the bridle failed and the horse raced away"; "the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion" [syn: catch]
2.
a spell of cold weather; "a cold snap in the middle of May"
3.
tender green beans without strings that easily snap into sections [syn: snap bean]
4.
a crisp round cookie flavored with ginger [syn: gingersnap]
5.
the noise produced by the rapid movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand; "servants appeared at the snap of his fingers"
6.
a sudden sharp noise; "the crack of a whip"; "he heard the cracking of the ice"; "he can hear the snap of a twig" [syn: crack]
7.
a sudden breaking
8.
the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed; "the waistband had lost its snap" [syn: elasticity] [ant: inelasticity]
9.
an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera; "my snapshots haven't been developed yet"; "he tried to get unposed shots of his friends" [syn: snapshot]
10.
a fastener used on clothing; fastens with a snapping sound; "children can manage snaps better than buttons"
11.
any undertaking that is easy to do; "marketing this product will be no picnic" [syn: cinch]
12.
the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand; "he gave his fingers a snap"
13.
(American football) putting the ball in play by passing it (between the legs) to a back; "the quarterback fumbled the snap" [syn: centering]
verb
1.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone; "The sales clerk snapped a reply at the angry customer"; "The guard snarled at us"
2.
separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped"; "tear the paper" [syn: tear]
3.
break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension; "The pipe snapped"
4.
move or strike with a noise; "he clicked on the light"; "his arm was snapped forward"
5.
close with a snapping motion; "The lock snapped shut"
6.
make a sharp sound; "his fingers snapped"
7.
move with a snapping sound; "bullets snapped past us"
8.
to grasp hastily or eagerly; "Before I could stop him the dog snatched the ham bone" [syn: snatch]
9.
put in play with a snap; "snap a football"
10.
cause to make a snapping sound; "snap your fingers"
11.
lose control of one's emotions; "When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely"; "When her baby died, she snapped" [syn: break down]
12.
bring the jaws together; "he snapped indignantly"
13.
record on photographic film; "I photographed the scene of the accident"; "She snapped a picture of the President" [syn: photograph]
SNAPlanguage 1. An early (IBM 360?) interpreted text-processing language for beginners, close to basic English. ["Computer Programming in English", M.P. Barnett, Harcourt Brace 1969]. 2. ["Some Proposals for SNAP, A Language with Formal Macro Facilities", R.B. Napper, Computer J 10(3):231-243, 1967]. [Same as 1?] (2006-05-27)
snap 1. To remove indirection, e.g. by replacing a pointer to a pointer with a pointer to the final target (see chase pointers). The underlying metaphor may be a rubber band stretched through a number of points; if you release it from the intermediate points, it snaps to a straight line from first to last. Often a trampoline performs an error check once and then snaps the pointer that invoked it so subsequent calls will bypass the trampoline (and its one-shot error check). In this context one also speaks of "snapping links". For example, in a Lisp implementation, a function interface trampoline might check to make sure that the caller is passing the correct number of arguments; if it is, and if the caller and the callee are both compiled, then snapping the link allows that particular path to use a direct procedure-call instruction with no further overhead. [The Jargon File] (2006-05-27) 2. snap dump. (2006-05-27)
v. To replace a pointer to a pointer with a direct pointer; to replace an old address with the forwarding address found there. If you telephone the main number for an institution and ask for a particular person by name, the operator may tell you that person's extension before connecting you, in the hopes that you will `snap your pointer' and dial direct next time. The underlying metaphor may be that of a rubber band stretched through a number of intermediate points; if you remove all the thumbtacks in the middle, it snaps into a straight line from first to last. See chase pointers.
Often, the behavior of a trampoline is to perform an error check once and then snap the pointer that invoked it so as henceforth to bypass the trampoline (and its one-shot error check). In this context one also speaks of `snapping links'. For example, in a LISP implementation, a function interface trampoline might check to make sure that the caller is passing the correct number of arguments; if it is, and if the caller and the callee are both compiled, then snapping the link allows that particular path to use a direct procedure-call instruction with no further overhead.
Neb\, n. [AS. nebb head, face; akin to D. neb, Icel. nef, beak of a bird, nose, Dan. n[ae]b beak, bill, Sw. n["a]bb, n["a]f, and prob. also to D. sneb, snavel, bill, beak, G. schnabel, Dan. & Sw. snabel, and E. snap. Cf. Nib, Snap, Snaffle.] The nose; the snout; the mouth; the beak of a bird; a nib, as of a pen. [Also written nib.] --Shak.
Snap\, n. 1. Any task, labor, set of circumstances, or the like, that yields satisfactory results or gives pleasure with little trouble or effort, as an easy course of study, a job where work is light, a bargain, etc. [Slang, Chiefly U. S.] 2. A snap shot with a firearm. 3. (Photog.) A snapshot. 4. Something of no value; as, not worth a snap. [Colloq.]
Snap\, a. Done, performed, made, executed, carried through, or the like, quickly and without deliberation; as, a snap judgment or decision; a snap political convention. [Colloq.]
Snaf"fle\, n. [D. snavel a beak, bill, snout; akin to G. schnabel, OHG. snabul,. sneb, snebbe, OFries. snavel mouth, Dan. & Sw. snabel beak, bill, Lith. snapas, and to E. snap, v. See Snap, and cf. Neb.] A kind of bridle bit, having a joint in the part to be placed in the mouth, and rings and cheek pieces at the ends, but having no curb; -- called also snaffle bit.
Snap\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Snapping.] [LG. or D. snappen to snap up, to snatch; akin to G. schnappen, MHG. snaben, Dan. snappe, and to D. snavel beak, bill. Cf. Neb, Snaffle, n.]1. To break at once; to break short, as substances that are brittle. Breaks the doors open, snaps the locks. --Prior. 2. To strike, to hit, or to shut, with a sharp sound. 3. To bite or seize suddenly, especially with the teeth. He, by playing too often at the mouth of death, has been snapped by it at last. --South. 4. To break upon suddenly with sharp, angry words; to treat snappishly; -- usually with up. --Granville. 5. To crack; to cause to make a sharp, cracking noise; as, to snap a whip. MacMorian snapped his fingers repeatedly. --Sir W. Scott. 6. To project with a snap. To snap back (Football), to roll the ball back with the foot; -- done only by the center rush, who thus delivers the ball to the quarter back on his own side when both sides are ranged in line. To snap off. (a) To break suddenly. (b) To bite off suddenly.
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