Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a miser, thus snudging, miserly.

1573		R. Commander ‘In Vituperationum Hugonis Shadwell’ in May & Bryson Verse Libel 93: A Carpet knight, a cancred Carle, / A Snudge or drudging mate.
1577		Holinshed Irish Chronicle 41: Some of his friendes, that were snudging pennyfathers, woulde take him vp verye roughly, for his lauishing and his outragious expenses.
1594		Nashe Unfortunate Traveller in Works V (1883–4) 22: You are a miser & a snudge.
1602		J. Cooke How A Man May Choose A Good Wife From A Bad Act III: Such an old snudge, he will not loose the droppings of his nose.
1861		Leeds Times 12 Oct. 2/6: Your husbandry, methinks, is more like the life of a covetous snudge that oft very evil proves.
1871		(con. 1586) Freeman’s Jrnl 2 Apr. n.p.: ‘Snudging peniefathers,’ and some other of Stanihurst’s un-dictionary vocabulary or slang of the tme.

2. (UK Und., also snudger) a thief who first enters a house, then hides, and emerges when the coast is clear to effect the robbery; also a mean, miserly person.

1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 33: Snudge One that lies under the bed to rob the house.
1676		A Newgate ex-prisoner A Warning for House-Keepers 5: A Budge and Snudge commonly go together, a Budge is one that goes loytering down the street, till he can find somebodies door open [...] if there be nobody in the house, then they are so bold to take what stands next them and gives it to his Snudge, who snudges away with it to his fencing cins [sic] who buyes it .
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Snudge, one that lurks under a Bed, to watch an opportunity to Rob the House.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) II [as cit. c.1698].
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. I 115: ‘Snudge.’ A thief who hides under the bed.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1902		J.H. Yoxall Rommany Stone 116: Shoplifts, cackling-coves, fencin’-cullies, spruce-prigs, basks, snudgers, jacks, an’ bloody-murderers — there wasn't a one in the Newgit Calendar as you couldn't nab.
1907		J. London Road 153: It is true, those immediately outside my circle, [...] called me ‘tough,’ ‘hoodlum,’ ‘smoudge,’ ‘thief,’ ‘robber,’ and various other not nice things.