Snool

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To urge a dog to attack someone or something ; to rebuke or criticize someone harshly
2. To set a dog upon another person or animal ; to scold or reprimand someone severely
3. To prompt a dog to assault a target ; to chide or censure someone sharply

Etymology: "Snool" is a slang verb meaning to act in a fawning, submissive way, or to cater to someone in order to win favour. It is a contraction of "snivel," the older word for whining or sniffling, which dates back to Old English roots for the nose-running it describes. The shortening follows a pattern seen in "drool," which is itself a contraction of "drivel," so "snool" belongs to a small family of English words where a familiar word has been clipped down to a short, punchy form. The clipping has a sharper edge than its parent. "Snivel" is about crying or whining out of self-pity, while "snool" shifts the sense toward currying favour from a person in authority, with the whining now replaced by eager servility. Speakers keep the sound of the original but drop its tears, so the word reads as a slightly contemptuous picture of someone bending too readily to those above them.