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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sniggle

Sniggle \Snig"gle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sniggled; p. pr. & vb. n. Sniggling.] [See Snig a kind of eel.] To fish for eels by thrusting the baited hook into their holes or hiding places.
--Walton.

Sniggle

Sniggle \Snig"gle\, v. t. To catch, as an eel, by sniggling; hence, to hook; to insnare.
--Beau. & Fl.

Wiktionary
sniggle

vb. 1 To catch an eel by thrusting a baited hook into its den. 2 Alternate spelling and pronunciation of snicker (corruption with giggle.) To chortle or chuckle. 3 (context obsolete English) To steal something of little value; diminutive corruption of snag + ''diminutive suffix.''

Wikipedia
Sniggle

A sniggle is a type of fish hook used for catching eels (known as snigs), using the method of sniggling.

A typical method of sniggling is to tie a fishing line to the middle of a large needle or fish hook. The needle is then inserted along the body of an earthworm which is used as bait. The needle is then stuck into a slender sniggling pole such as a hazel wand, eight to ten feet long. This is used to insert the bait into promising holes or crannies in which eels tend to lurk. When an eel takes the bait then, after a minute or two, the bait will have been swallowed whole and the line is then pulled to rotate the needle or hook within the body of the eel so snagging and catching it. Eels of two or three pounds weight may be caught by this method but may require a protracted tug of war to pull them from their hole. This provides better sport and amusement than the use of traps or clod-fishing and is a good alternative for the angler when game fish such as trout will not rise.

Usage examples of "sniggle".

A subdued sniggle followed this sally of wit, during which John took his seat with such native grace as he could command, which at the moment was not much.

It might be not so hard to get a wee staggie, or to sniggle a salmon in one of the deep pots.

From him Benjie learned how to take a nesting grouse, how to snare a dozen things, from hares to roebuck, how to sniggle salmon in the clear pools, and how to poach a hind when the deer came down in hard weather to the meadows.

Everyone was too intent on the exhibits, or on trying new foods and drinks, or on laughing at the wandering thranx sniggle poets, to pay special attention to one roving human-thranx pair.

In early starlight, because her vision was so much keener than mine, she managed to sniggle two more of the hapless rodents.

It was a cold summer, and there was a searching, prying wind that sniggled round houses, under closed doors, and down the backs of necks.

He set about the work at once, sniggling to himself the while, for he guessed there would be a further rumpus about this some day, and Sebastian was not without a certain pleasure in the thought of Fraulein Rottenmeier being a little disturbed.

His adolescent amour propre could not let him confess to such a thing in front of his disdainful father or his sniggling sister.

It might be not so hard to get a wee staggie, or to sniggle a salmon in one of the deep pots.