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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1908-1927

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SNEUK, n. Also snuik, sn(j)uk-; sn(j)ug-, sneg- (Jak.), a whim, a crotchet, a freak, a peculiarity of temper (Ork. 1929 Marw., snuik; Sh., Ork. 1971). Phr. in the snuiks, in the sulks (Marw.). Ppl.adj. sneukit, snjuket, specious, insidious, artful, crafty (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 206, 1908 Jak. (1928); Abd. 1911 Abd. Wkly. Jnl. (31 March); Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.). Comb. ill-snjug, offence, insult, aversion, most freq. in ppl.adj. ill-sneukit, -snuiket, -ed, snjuket, -sn(j)uget, -sneget (Jak.), disagreeable, cross-grained, ill-natured, ill-mannered, malicious (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1971), sneuksie, id. (Ork. 1971). [Ork. snøk, snɛk-, Sh. snjuk, -g, sneg]Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
He has a ill snjug at me, he's taen some ill snjug to me.Ork. 1927 Peace's Almanac 135:
Da ald illsneukit tell-pie aye gettin' someane i' a sneckcue.

[The n. appears to be a back formation from the comb. ill-sneukit, for which cf. Norw. dial. ill-snøgg, rash, precipitate, snøgg, quick, hasty, Icel. snöggur, id., cross, testy. But there are various phonological and semantic difficulties which make any of the proposed etymologies uncertain. See Jak. s.v. ill-snjugget.]

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"Sneuk n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sneuk>

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