Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. of a person, with a runny nose; also used fig., whining, self-pitying (see cite 1984).

[1866		Louisville Dly Courier (KY) 25 July 1/5: Poor, lame, [...] rotten, snotty-nosed sheep].
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 101: He watched snot-nosed Phil Rolfe, the twelve-year-old little pest.
1945		R.M. Lindner Stone Walls and Men 271: ‘Snot-nose Louie.’ This is the name he was always known by [...] He always had a running nose.
1947		F. Brown Fabulous Clipjoint (1949) 7: I’d been eight and Gardie a snot-nosed brat of four when Pop had remarried.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 105: Why in hell would I marry you? [...] Have a raft of snot-nosed nigger brats?
1962		T. Berger Reinhart in Love (1963) 215: A snotnosed kid ran into the street after a red ball.
1974		C. Loken Come Monday Morning 7: He started beggin’ to quit an’ cryin’ like a snotnose girl.
1984		Liverpool Echo 10 Jan. 4/7: It’s a snivelling snot-nosed sort of place.
1985		S. Berkoff West in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 93: Since snot-nose kids they never knew / the softer life.
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 278: The kids didn’t look like fine little sculptures anymore, just dirty, snot-nosed, rag-ass niggerboys.
2003		N. Griffiths Stump 9: Take them wheels over them snot-nosed sprogs any fuckin day. Too right.
2005		Mad mag. May 4: Mafia Princess Victoria Gotti or her snot-nosed bratty sons.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 282: [They] had better runs than many a snot-nosed brat the studios trotted out.

2. in fig. use, of a young, immature or inexperienced person.

1938		Fairview Enterprise (KS) 7 Apr. 4/1: A bunch of snot-nosed young snoopers who didn’t know anything about the law.
1941		B. Schulberg What Makes Sammy Run? (1992) 11: Hardened newspapermen being afraid of a snot-nosed little office boy?
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 242: When I was a snot-nose kid [...] Johnny Friendly used t’take me to ball games.
1955		E. Hunter Blackboard Jungle 108: It was one thing to play games with the new snot-nose teacher.
1968		J. Healy Death of an Irish Town 43: Not to worry that some snot-nosed kid in Charlestown will pester the life out of a parent for a Batman suit.
1970		E. Thompson Garden of Sand (1981) 319: I don’t know what the hell I’m doing dragging around with you and that snotnosed brat of yours.
1970		T. Southern Blue Movie (1974) 211: Dave and Debbie Roberts . . . ‘a couple of snot-nose brats,’ as we was wont to say.
1974		J. Matthews The Park and Other Stories (1983) 26: One of dair snot-nose lighties say we scairt to fight dem.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 63: The members eat it up and whip out heavy for those snotnose cocksuckers.
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 42: Don’t you come bitchin to me bout some snot-nose seventh-grader poppin your ass.
1999		Guardian Guide 10–16 July 8: The rest of us [...] are simply snot-nosed first years, pesky kids who should keep our mouths shut.
2000		T. Udo Vatican Bloodbath 116: What, after all, was the life of one more sub-human snot-nosed chip-eating low IQ unemployable piece of human trash?
2004		L.A. Times Sports 7 Feb. D2/4: You’re talking about forecasting success based on snot-nosed pimply faced 17-year-olds. Come on.
2017		Gazette (Montreal) 18 May 14/3: Who would have thought some snot-nosed kid from Taber would make it to the big city of Montreal.

3. arrogant, snobbish.

1946		H.A. Smith Rhubarb 25: That [...] is none of your snot-nosed business.
1957		H. Ellison ‘We Take Care of Our Dead’ in Deadly Streets (1983) 63: These snot-nosed Americans who rode around in their Cadillacs.
1967		(con. 1920s) J. Thompson South of Heaven (1994) 40: You stupid snotnosed bastard!
1972		(con. 1916) G. Swarthout Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 25: The question was snot-nosed and insubordinate.
1983		S. King Christine 354: He hadn’t needed a snotnosed kid to point it out for him.
1999		Guardian Weekend 14 Aug. 52: I’ve got a brain, so don’t get snot-nosed with me, dear.
2005		Lansing State Jrnl (MI) 21 Mar. 14/6: He’s a grittty, snot-nosed coach.