Word of the Day
SNEE (snee)
A knife, especially a large knife
Common clues: Snick-or-_____; Dagger of old; Snick's partner; Blade of yore; Bygone blade; Old knife
Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
Video: Mikado Tea Scene Madrigal
The phrase ‘snick or snee’ (and variations: stick or snee, snick-a-snee, and snickersnee) is an archaic phrase whose most famous usage was probably in a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, The Mikado:
Oh,
never shall I
Forget the cry,
Or the shriek that shrieked
he,
As I gnashed my teeth,
When from its sheath
I drew
my snickersnee!
The origin of the phrase is apparently from a couple of Dutch words – steken, meaning to thrust or stick, and snijden, meaning to cut.
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