active; lively.
a snell lad.
witty.
a snell remark.
severe.
snell weather.
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; origin uncertain
before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old High German snel ( German schnell ) quick, Old Norse snjallr excellent
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Note: for the snell to be tied properly, the loop must pass around the hook bend and the tag end with each wrap.
From Time Magazine Archive
The snell knot is also useful for tying tandem-hook rigs: simply tie the trailing hook to a long tag end coming off the rear of the lead hook.
From Time Magazine Archive
One benefit of the snell knot is that it aligns the fishing line or leader with the hook shank, resulting in a straight, solid set.
From Time Magazine Archive
Flies, leaders, and snell hooks, said he, are made in many a humble European home.
From Time Magazine Archive
Some of his snell sayings are still remembered.
From Spare Hours by Brown, John
Sporting a bright pink headband, 84-year-old Judith Snell, from Brighouse, declares herself "ready for a punch-up" after completing some shadow boxing with Mr Motivator.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Tucker, Betts, Snell, Glasnow and Díaz are making more this year than a dozen MLB teams are paying for their entire rosters, and their limited production has hardly mattered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ace lefty Blake Snell, flamethrowing righty Tyler Glasnow and newly acquired closer Edwin Díaz have been injured for months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Eric Lauer, imported to fortify a starting rotation without Glasnow and Snell, worked six innings to record the victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
There was a cake in the shape of the sixty-inch, marked with the words of a telegram from Art Snell, a cyclotroneer at the University of Chicago.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
