Sniggled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To catch small fish by inserting a hook into likely spots and pulling them out gently ; to gain or obtain something by a subtle or cunning method ; to engage in small-scale fishing or trickery using a thin, hooked tool
2. To fish for small prey by inserting a hook covertly and drawing it out carefully ; to acquire or secure something through sly or indirect means ; to practice a type of fishing involving a thin hook used to snag hidden fish
3. To use a slender hook to catch little fish by probing holes or crevices ; to obtain or achieve something through clever or sneaky tactics ; to capture prey or objects with a specialized hooked instrument applied discreetly

Etymology: Sniggling is a fishing method in which the angler hooks a fish without the fish taking the bait, usually by dragging a baited or unbaited hook through the water until it snags the fish, often in its body or fins. "Sniggled" is simply the past tense of this verb, describing a fish that was caught that way. The verb is an offshoot of "snig," a dialect word for a kind of eel, which may be why the method is tied to eel and coarse-fish angling. The ending "-le" is a frequentative suffix, meaning it describes repeated or fiddling action, so to sniggle is to keep working at something with small, handling movements. Some sources instead trace the verb to "snag," the hook-catching sense that describes the same action, with the "-le" added in the same way. The verb may also have been shaped by "giggle," which would explain its sound, since it is similar to "snigger" and "snicker" that appear in the same family of words.

Synonyms: caught, fished, hauled in