Green’s Dictionary of Slang

the nose.

1847

Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 Feb. 2/2: The snuff-bag was sending forth its gore.

a snuff-box.

1824

Annals of Sporting 1 Feb. 107/1: [He] picked his pocket of five flimseys, his sneezer, and a turtle-shell snuff-bin.

1. the nose.

1824		Annals of Sporting 1 Jan. 58: Carte broke his adversary’s snuff-box; but a belly-go-firster felled him.
1825		Caledonian Mercury 13 June 3/4: The snuff box and potatoe trap very much worse for wear.
1827		Egan Anecdotes of the Turf, the Chase etc. 199: Langan’s snuff-box, it seems was somewhat in the way.
1845		Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 Dec. 2/2: Haddy [...] caught the snuffbox of his adversary.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 5 Aug. 2/3: Bleeding profusely from his ‘snuff depository’.
1853		N.Y. Clipper 9 July 1/3: A gentle tap on the snuff-box.
1854		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) II 166: While to another he would mention as an interesting item of news [...] ‘There’s a crack on your snuff-box!’.
1857		Bell’s Life in Victoria (Melbourne) 18 Apr. 3/5: Joe visited Bill’s snuff-box and mouth.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 191: Some sparring and neat stopping followed, winding up with a chipper on the giant’s ‘snuff-box’.
1864		H.D. Miles Tom Sayers 31: Sayers [...] was propped heavily on the snuff-box.
1903		(ref. to 1810s–50s) Bulletin (Sydney) 23 July 21/4: Other names by which this useful organ was indicated by writers in ‘Pugilistica’ are ‘proboscis,’ ‘beak,’ ‘snuff-box,’ ‘cutwater,’ ‘snout,’ ‘nasal promontory,’ ‘sneezer,’ ‘snuffer tray,’ ‘sniffer,’ ‘scent bottle,’ etc.
1929		Framlingham Wkly News 12 Jan. 2: In the mind of a pugilist, a man has [...] a ‘snuff-box’ or a ‘smeller,’ not a nose.

2. a coffin [visual resemblance].

1861

(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 58/1: Let’s put him in this snuff-box. [Pointing to coffin].

3. a gas mask.

1941

New Statesman 30 Aug. in DSUE (1984).

4. a short person.

1983

B. Stabler in Wall Street Journal 24 June n.p.: Peewee, shrimp, shortstop, snuffbox—there’s a fair amount of invective leveled at these kids [R].

(US) a prostitute working from a car.

1975

L. Dills CB Slanguage 102: Snuff-Dippers: roadside or truckstop prostitutes.

the nose.

1848

Bell’s Life in Sydney 7 Oct. 3/2: A gentleman with a short crop and flattened snuff inhaler.

the nose.

1855		Broadway Belle (NY) 1 Jan. n.p.: Horace received a severe sockdollager on his muffin-trap, and [...] dealt his adversary a stunner on his snuff-mill, which drew the claret.
1861		Bell’s Life in Sydney 29 June 3/2: With the right [she] administered a dose which caused ruby streams to flow from her ‘snuff mill’.

(UK Und.) temporarily blinding a shopkeeper with a handful of snuff, then seizing his money or stock.

1812		Vaux Memoirs in McLachlan (1964) 82: Lest the reader should be unprovided with a cant dictionary, I shall briefly explain in succession: viz., the snuff-racket [...] Throwing snuff in the eyes of a shop-keeper, and then running off with such money or valuable property as may lay within reach.
1870		(con. 1800s) Leeds Times 7 May6/6: These youths practised [...] thirteen different ‘lays’ including [...] the ‘snuff racket,’ throwing snuff in a tradesman’s eyes and then running off with money or valuables.

(N.Z.) a cigarette.

[1897		(con. 1860s) W.E. Barton Hero in Homespun 218: This information was given [...] by a resolute and toothless old woman, with a snuff-stick between her gums].
1978		N. Hilliard Glory and The Dream 76: Not with a snuffstick hanging out of their gates.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.

(prizefighting) the nose.

1825

Pierce Egan’s Life in London 2 Jan. 389/2: Ward [...] received a slight touch on his snuff-taker.

(UK Und.) the nose.

1846		Swell’s Night Guide 68: I’d sooner doss in a grunter crib, with my snuff-trap up the old sow’s a—e.
1852		Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 6/1: The coves next jigger (door) are hangers on (dependents) of the Autembawlers (ministers) and turn up their snuff-traps whenever there’s a shindy.

to punish, to reprimand.

1890		H. Fludyer Letters 85: I said I wished I could get him up here [...] to give the authorities snuff.
1920		Marvel 19 June 15: Good on you, young ’un! [...] Give him snuff!

1. very quickly.

1965

L. Dunne Goodbye to The Hill (1966) 23: And all over the place governments were coming and going like snuff at a wake.

2. in large amounts.

1985

M. Johnston Around the Banks of Pimlico 115: Uncle Christy was a very quiet cheerful man who was everybody’s favourite [...] especially in the pubs, where he threw money around like snuff at a wake .

to be offended; thus in snuff, offended.

c.1597		Shakespeare Henry IV Pt 1 I iii: Who therewith angry, when it next came there, Took it in snuff.
1609		Jonson Silent Woman IV v: He went away in snuffe.
1612		J. Taylor Laugh and Be Fat 69: No man’s lines but mine you take in snuff.
1705		N. Ward Honesty in Distress A2: The squeamish Gypsie presently took snuffe, And turn’d her back upon me in a Huff.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: To take Snuff; To take Pet; to be captious, to be out of Humour.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation 10: No, Colonel, you must know, I never take Snuff but when I’m angry.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 97: snuff ‘to take snuff,’ to be offended.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.