English Learning

Word of the Week: snigger

Written by Ioannes Oculus

Definitions

/ˈsnɪɡ.ər/

Oxford: Laugh in a half-suppressed, typically scornful way.

Cambridge: to laugh at someone or something in a silly and often unkind way

Translations

Polish: chichotać, podśmiewać się

Spanish: reírse

German: kichern

Russian: посмеиваться, хихикать

Examples

What are you two sniggering at/about?

People at work were sure to snigger at him behind his back.

Usage in books

‘I had a dream about a motorbike,’ said Harry, remembering suddenly. ‘It was flying.’
Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, ‘MOTORBIKES DON’T FLY!’
Dudley and Piers sniggered.
‘I know they don’t,’ said Harry. ‘It was only a dream.’

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Exercises

Please answer in the comments:

1. When do people snigger?

2. Have you ever sniggered at someone?

About the author

Ioannes Oculus

I am addicted to languages, both modern and ancient. No language is dead as long as we can read and understand it. I want to share my linguistic passion with like minded people. I am also interested in history, astronomy, genealogy, books and probably many others. My goals now are to write a novel in Latin, a textbook for Latin learners, Uzbek-Polish, Polish-Uzbek dictionary, modern Uzbek grammar and textbook for learners. My dream is to have a big house in UK or USA where I could keep all my books and have enough time and money to achieve my goals.

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