Also 6 sneke, 7 sneek, sneake. [Of doubtful origin: the form does not agree with that of early ME. snīken, OE. snícan to creep, crawl (cf. ON. sníkja, Norw. snikja, Da. snige, in senses similar to ‘sneak’), and the historical gap is very great. The stem sneak- appears a little earlier in SNEAKISH(LY a. and adv.]
I. intr. 1. To move, go, walk, etc., in a stealthy or slinking manner; to creep or steal furtively, as if ashamed or afraid to be seen; to slink, skulk:
a. With advs., as away, down, in, off, out, etc.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., IV. iii. 58. A poore vnminded Outlaw, sneaking home.
1604. Dekker, Honest Wh., Wks. 1873, II. 138. I hope he will not sneake away with all the money.
1625. B. Jonson, Staple of N., II. iv. Where’s Madrigall? Is he sneek’d hence?
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 9, ¶ 3. Miss having heard enough, sneaks off for Fear of Discovery.
1740–2. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. xix. 31. [The cook] was hot with her work; and I sneaked away.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., xlvii. To avoid people, and sneak on unobserved.
1877. Black, Green Past., i. The two women were sneaking off by themselves.
fig. and transf. 1643. Wither, Campo-Musæ, 72. That Delusion Which had so hotly charg’d me, sneaked thence.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies, Sussex, III. 96. When the Sun ariseth the Moon sneaketh down obscurely.
1857. S. Osborn, Quedah, xii. 159. Towards dusk a small canoe sneaked out, under the plea of fishing.
b. With preps., as about, after, from, into, etc.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., I. ii. 171. To her vnguarded Nest, the Weazell (Scot) Comes sneaking.
1607. Fletcher, Woman Hater, V. iv. There are they still poor rogues,… sneaking after cheeses.
1609. Rowlands, Dr. Merrie-man (Hunterian Cl.), 20. The Rusticke … softly sneaking out of doores, About his message goes.
1714. Pope, Lett. to Caryll, 25 Sept. I have … sneaked along the walks with that astonished and diffident air [etc.].
1749. Smollett, Gil Blas, I. xiii. But I made no reply, and very wisely condescended to sneak into the straw.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. Man of Many Fr., II. 51. They … sneaked from my door with every mark of … servile cowardice.
1835. Sir J. Ross, Narr. 2nd Voy., ii. 22. Appearing disorderly and dirty, as they … sneaked about the ship.
1879. E. K. Bates, Egypt. Bonds, II. viii. 191. Like truant schoolboys who sneak into the busy schoolroom.
fig. 1726. De Foe, Hist. Devil, II. v. Being ashamed, as well as discouraged, they sneaked out of the world as well as they could.
1838. Emerson, Address, Cambridge, Wks. (Bohn), II. 200. Now man is ashamed of himself; he skulks and sneaks through the world.
1877. Browning, Balaustion, 1549. To thee who livest now Through having sneaked past fate apportioned thee.
c. Without const. (Freq. used to denote want of courage, independence, or straightforwardness, without reference to place or movement.)
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl. (1848), 358. As these Russians could not take a better way than that of not sneaking, to avoid the having their Rites and Persons undervalu’d.
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, II. 184. For he … scorn’d to stand, and sneak with hands in Pocket.
1699. Bentley, Phalaris, xi. 266. He sneak’d like a Cock, that hangs down his wings when he’s beaten.
1732. Pope, Ep. Cobham, 154. Tom struts a Soldier,… Will sneaks a Scriv’ner, an exceeding knave.
1779. Johnson, L. P., Pope. Pope was reduced to sneak and shuffle, sometimes to deny, and sometimes to apologize.
1845. Nonconformist, V. 26 Feb., 133/1. Law … may allow … them to sneak—but law cannot wipe away the reproach of sneaking.
1861. Geo. Eliot, Silas M., ix. 144. If you know where he’s sneaking—I daresay you do—you may tell him to spare himself the journey o’ coming back home.
fig. 1633. G. Herbert, Temple, Ch. Militant, 121. Thus Sinne in Egypt sneaked for a while.
1692. [Bp. E. Fowler], Vindication, 15. Vice is a Dastardly Cow-hearted thing, and always sneaks when bravely born up to.
1765. Beattie, Judgm. of Paris, cii. Coward Office … sneaks secure in insolence of state.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., II. 83. How blest she’d been,… If, ere want sneak’d for grudg’d support from pride [etc.].
d. U.S. colloq. To make off quietly.
1901. R. A. Stevenson, in Scribner’s Mag., April, 409/1. When you get over the fence, don’t run away, yell fire till the crowd comes, then sneak.
2. To cringe or be servile to (a person, etc.).
c. 1660. South, Serm. (1715), I. 32. I need salute no great Man’s Threshold, sneak to none of his Friends or Servants.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Oxford Scholars, Wks. 1730, I. 10. Pitiful curates and chaplains, that must sneak to the groom and butler.
1796. Burke, Corr. (1844), IV. 383. We sneak to the regicides, but we boldly trample on our poor fellow-citizens.
1873. Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-cap, iv. 257. Why else to me … Sneak, cap in hand, now bribe me to forsake My maimed Léonce, now bully, cap on head.
transf. 1707. Hearne, Collect., 30 Sept. Our Bishops sneak to the old Cause.
3. School slang. To peach, inform, tell tales.
1897. Daily News, 3 June, 7/2. Sneaking, in the ethics of public school boys, is the unpardonable sin.
1902. Spectator, 12 July, 46/2. The boys … usually prefer to suffer rather than ‘sneak’ of one of their companions.
II. trans. 4. To turn or draw aside, to put or thrust in or into, to move or slide to, etc., in a stealthy manner.
1648. J. Beaumont, Psyche, I. xlvii. Stout Trees … From this dire Breath sneak’d their faint heads aside.
1684. Otway, Atheist, III. i. Sneak what Ready-mony thou hast into my Hand.
1754. Connoisseur, No. 32, ¶ 3. I see a man every minute stealing out a dirty muckender, then sneaking it in again.
1889. W. Clark Russell, in Macm. Mag., Aug., 253/1. I lay stirless, softly sneaking my right hand to the pistol.
1892. Gunter, Miss Dividends, 275. When Lawrence’s name comes up for membership, he sneaks in a black-ball, as many another prig … has done before.
refl. 1680. Advice to Soldier, ii. in Harl. Misc. (1753), I. 467. I have seen some of those Gallants … in the Middle of a Sea-fight,… sneak themselves behind the Main-mast.
b. To keep out of sight; to hide. rare–1.
1701. Wake, Ration., 222 (Todd). Some sins dare the world in open defiance, yet this [sc. slander] lurks, and sneaks its head.
c. To pass through in an underhand or stealthy manner.
1891. Daily News, 29 Jan., 2/4. Mr. Stephens … objected night after night to this cruel and unjust Bill being ‘sneaked’ through Parliament.
1896. Voice (N.Y.), 5 March, 2/4. A most important measure is being sneaked through the general assembly.
† 5. To do or act (one’s part) in a sneaking or cringing manner. Obs.–1
1649. G. Daniel, Trinarch., Hen. V., ccxcii. Something hidden lifts the Thought To Noble Actions, when they heare ’em told, And Hee who Sneaks his part, will praise ’em bold.
6. a. Cant. (See quot.)
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., s.v., To sneak a place, is to rob it upon the sneak. Ibid., One or more prisoners having escaped from their confinement by stealth, without … alarming their keepers, are said to have sneak’d ’em.
b. colloq. To steal in a sneaking or stealthy manner; to filch.
1883. Daily News, 14 Sept., 3/7. The various kinds of people who visit public libraries for other than legitimate purposes, such as … those who sneaked umbrellas, and those who stole books.
1889. J. K. Jerome, Three Men in Boat, ix. 142. Somebody must have sneaked it, and run off with it.
