snifter

present singular third person snifters · participle present sniftering · participle past sniftered · past sniftered

1. intransitiveTo sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle.

   Brouffer. To ſnurt, or ſnifter vvith the noſe, like a horſe.

   1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Brouffer”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, signature [M vj], verso, column 1

   2 more examples

   Nifler. To ſnifter, or ſnuffe vp ſniuell; to dravv it vp by dravving in the vvind.

   1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Nifler”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, signature Kkk, recto, column 1

   I confess when I heard this read out in a strong, mellow and affecting tone, I could not resist crying; the tears ran down my cheeks, and I was obliged to dight them with my sleeve, and snifter like a whipped boy.

   1835, James Hogg, “Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of an Edinburgh Baillie, Written by Himself”, in Tales of the Wars of Montrose. […], volume I, London: James Cochrane and Co. […], →OCLC, page 130

2. archaicraretransitiveFollowed by out: to speak (words) in a nasal, snuffling manner.

plural snifters

1. Northern EnglandScotlandA sniff.
2. Northern EnglandScotlandfigurativelyA strong or severe wind.
3. figurativelyA small, wide, pear-shaped glass used for drinking aromatic liquors such as bourbon and brandy.

   [H]e springs to another wooden vat and turns a valve, filling a snifter with a warm amber liquid. […] Bang holds the liquid up to the light, swirls it around, takes a sniff of the pungent bouquet, puts the glass to his lips—and gives a satisfied smile.

   2003 January 20, “Getting Saucy”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2012

   Synonyms: brandy bowl, brandy glass, brandy snifter, cognac glass, whiskey glass

4. figurativelyinformalSynonym of nip (“a small amount of an alcoholic beverage, especially one equivalent to what a snifter (noun sense 2.2) might hold”)

   And now, old horse, you may lead me across the street to the Coal Hole for a short snifter.

   1923 June, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “The Début of Battling Billson”, in Ukridge, London: Herbert Jenkins […], published 3 June 1924, →OCLC, page 56

   1 more example

   "Sit down, bo," invited Soup Face. "I guess you're a regular all right. Here, have a snifter?" and he pulled a flask from his side pocket, holding it toward The Oskaloosa Kid.

   1917 (date written), Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Oakdale Affair”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., published March 1918, →OCLC; republished Doylestown, Pa.: Wildside Press, 2003, →ISBN, page 21

   Synonyms: nip

5. USfigurativelyslangSynonym of cocaine addict; a sniffer.

   Synonyms: cocaine addict

6. USfigurativelyslangA small amount of cocaine taken by inhaling through the nose.
7. USfigurativelyslangA handheld device used to detect signals from radio transmitters; a sniffer.