Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1865-1932, 1992-2004
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SNASHTER, n., v. Also snaster, and in dim. form snashtrie.
I. n. In pl.: a contemptuous name for sweets, cakes, pastries, or other dainties, trashy food (Ayr. 1825 Jam.; Lnk. 1900; Ayr. 1930; Per., Slg., Fif., wm.Sc. 1970).Rnf. 1865 J. Young Homely Pictures 150:
Ilka bawbee i' their keep Aye gaed in snashtries for their wames.Ayr. 1913 J. Service Memorables 65:
Their snashters o' tairts an siclike.Dmb. 1931 A. J. Cronin Hatter's Castle i. iv.:
Cups o' tea and snashters at a' hours.Arg. 1932:
Stick ye tae loaf breed an' lee thae snasters alane. She maks aafu snashters; English things naebody can eat.Arg. 1992:
Put these snashters away this meenit - yer tea'll be ready in half an oor. Arg. 1998 Angus Martin The Song of the Quern 57:
An it got fond o nibblin
the snashters she laid oot
tae tempt it fae the burra
an gar it loup aboot. Ayr. 2000:
Cups o tea an' snashters at aw oors. Edb. 2004:
Stop eating snashters, or ye'll no eat yer tea!
¶II. v. To be continually eating sweets, etc., to guzzle trashy food (Rnf. c.1850 Crawfurd MSS. (N.L.S.) S. 103).
[Cf. Snash, v., 1., and M.L.Ger. snascherie, eating of dainties, and Sw. snask, sweets, snaska, to suck sweets.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Snashter n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snashter>
