snag
part of speech
noun (a snag, snags); verb (snag, snags, snagged, snagging)
meaning for a pupil
1) A snag is a small hidden problem or difficulty: «The only snag is that it's raining». tree →
2) A snag is a sharp or rough bit that catches on things, or a pull or tear in cloth caused by catching on it. tree →
3) To snag something is to catch or tear it on something sharp. tree →
4) (informal) To snag something is to get it quickly, like snagging the last seat. tree →
5) (Australia, informal) A snag is a sausage, especially on a barbecue: a «sausage sizzle» sells snags in bread. tree →
6) A snag can also be a dead tree, or broken branch, standing in or lying across a river. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life it names small problems in plans and pulls in jumpers or tights. In Australia snags are the classic barbecue sausage, often sold at school fetes and outside shops at elections. Phrases: «hit a snag», «the only snag», «snag a jumper», «snag in bread».
examples
- Our plan hit a snag when the bus was late. tree →
- The only snag is that we have no glue. tree →
- My jumper snagged on the fence. tree →
- There's a snag in your tights. tree →
- I snagged the last cupcake! tree →
- We bought snags at the school sausage sizzle. tree →
- Throw a few snags on the barbie, mate. tree →
- Water here and water there; waving tussocks and trembling mools, and great black snags all twisted and bent. tree →
note
Countable noun; verb doubles the «g»: snagged, snagging. In Australia and New Zealand «snag» = sausage (informal). «Hit a snag» means meet a problem, not hit something.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «snag» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.