’snails!, excl. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

’snails! excl.

[SE God’s nails (although the nails in question are those suffered by Christ rather than God)]

a mild, if blasphemous, oath.

1599		J. Hayward Henry IIII in Manning (1991) I 81: Sir Hugh swore, ’swownes, and snayles, let vs set vpon them, and kill euery man and mothers childe’.
1605		Shakespeare London Prodigal G: Snailes is there such cowardice in that.
1617		Middleton & Rowley A Fair Quarrel V i: A bastard? ’snails, there’s great suspicion she’s a whore then!
1633		Rowley Match at Midnight I i: ’Snailes my shooes are as pale as the cheek of a stewd Pander.
1638		R. Brome Antipodes IV v: ’S nayles wheres the rest; is my poake bottome broake?