snook

«snook» in Mova's school dictionary: «Cock a snook» (UK, old-fashioned) — to make a rude… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a snook, snooks); phrase (cock a snook)

meaning for a pupil

1) «Cock a snook» (UK, old-fashioned) — to make a rude, mocking sign by putting your thumb on your nose and spreading your fingers; also to show open disrespect for someone or a rule. tree →

2) A long, silvery fish of warm seas, caught for food and sport. tree →

sense in the lessons

In British writing, «cock a snook at» someone means to cheekily defy or mock them, like breaking a silly rule on purpose. Teachers may call the gesture rude. Anglers in the Caribbean and Florida fish for snook.

examples

• The cheeky boy cocked a snook at the bus driver. tree →
• The little shop cocked a snook at the big supermarket by giving everything away free. tree →
• Thumbing your nose — cocking a snook — is a rude gesture. tree →
• Dad caught a snook on his holiday in Florida. tree →
• The new band cocks a snook at old rules about music. tree →
• The pupils cocked a snook at the rain and played outside anyway. tree →

note

Rare word; mostly heard in «cock a snook» (here «cock» means «tip up», not a rude word). Another phrase for the gesture: «thumb your nose». Not to be confused with «snooker», the game.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «snook» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.