Snap \Snap\, n. [Cf. D. snap a snatching. See Snap, v. t.]
1. A sudden breaking or rupture of any substance.
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2. A sudden, eager bite; a sudden seizing, or effort to
seize, as with the teeth.
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3. A sudden, sharp motion or blow, as with the finger sprung
from the thumb, or the thumb from the finger.
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4. A sharp, abrupt sound, as that made by the crack of a
whip; as, the snap of the trigger of a gun.
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5. A greedy fellow. --L'Estrange.
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6. 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.
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He's a nimble fellow,
And alike skilled in every liberal science,
As having certain snaps of all. --B. Jonson.
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7. A sudden severe interval or spell; -- applied to the
weather; as, a cold snap. --Lowell.
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8. 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.
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9. (Zool.) A snap beetle.
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10. A thin, crisp cake, usually small, and flavored with
ginger; -- used chiefly in the plural.
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11. Briskness; vigor; energy; decision. [Colloq.]
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12. Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an
advantage gained. [Slang]
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13. 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.]
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14. A snap shot with a firearm.
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15. (Photog.) A snapshot.
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16. Something of no value; as, not worth a snap. [Colloq.]
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17. (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.
[PJC]
Snap back (Football), the act of snapping back the ball.
Snap beetle, or Snap bug (Zool.), any beetle of the
family Elateridae, 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.
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