The Collaborative International Dictionary
Snap \Snap\, n. [Cf. D. snap a snatching. See Snap, v. t.]
A sudden breaking or rupture of any substance.
A sudden, eager bite; a sudden seizing, or effort to seize, as with the teeth.
A sudden, sharp motion or blow, as with the finger sprung from the thumb, or the thumb from the finger.
A sharp, abrupt sound, as that made by the crack of a whip; as, the snap of the trigger of a gun.
A greedy fellow.
--L'Estrange.-
That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap.
He's a nimble fellow, And alike skilled in every liberal science, As having certain snaps of all.
--B. Jonson. A sudden severe interval or spell; -- applied to the weather; as, a cold snap.
--Lowell.A small catch or fastening held or closed by means of a spring, or one which closes with a snapping sound, as the catch of a bracelet, necklace, clasp of a book, etc.
(Zo["o]l.) A snap beetle.
A thin, crisp cake, usually small, and flavored with ginger; -- used chiefly in the plural.
Briskness; vigor; energy; decision. [Colloq.]
Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained. [Slang]
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.]
A snap shot with a firearm.
(Photog.) A snapshot.
Something of no value; as, not worth a snap. [Colloq.]
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(Football) The action of snapping the ball back, from the center usu. to the quarterback, which commences the play (down), and, if the clock had stopped, restarts the timer clock; a snap back.
Snap back (Football), the act of snapping back the ball.
Snap beetle, or Snap bug (Zo["o]l.), any beetle of the family Elaterid[ae], which, when laid on its back, is able to leap to a considerable height by means of a thoracic spring; -- called also snapping beetle.
Snap flask (Molding), a flask for small work, having its sides separable and held together by latches, so that the flask may be removed from around the sand mold.
Snap judgment, a judgment formed on the instant without deliberation.
Snap lock, a lock shutting with a catch or snap.
Snap riveting, riveting in which the rivets have snapheads formed by a die or swaging tool.
Snap shot, a quick offhand shot, without deliberately taking aim.