Sc. (Ir.) and north. dial. Forms: α. 8 snishon, -en, 9 -an (8 snichen, snitian), 8–9 snishin(g. β. 7, 9 sneeshon, 9 -an, 8–9 sneeshin(g, sneeshin’, 9 sneechin(g, etc. [Alteration of SNEEZING vbl. sb. 2 b, perhaps after Highland or Irish pronunciation: cf. Sc. Gael. snaoisean, Ir. snaoisín.]
1. Snuff.
α. 1714. R. Smith, Poems (1853), 12. Thy vile snichen, and thy brose.
1720. Pennecuik, Helicon, 65. A Mill with Snitian, to pepper her Nose.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 91. A Mill of good snishing to prie.
1761. in Hull, Select Lett. (1778), I. 314. I have sent you a little Provision of the best Preston-Pans Snuff,… with one Bottle of Highland Snishon.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xii. Bid her fill my mill wi’ snishing.
1847. Le Fanu, T. O’Brien, 213. Take a pinch iv the snishin.
β. 1808. Jamieson, Sneeshin,… the vulgar name for snuff.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxi. A’ the siller I need is just to buy tobacco and sneeshin. Ibid. (1824), Redgauntlet, ch. vii. Will ye try my sneeshing?
1900. Crockett, Little Anna Mark, xxi. The noblest sneeshan in the worl’.
2. A pinch of snuff. Chiefly with negatives, used to denote something of very slight value or significance.
1686. G. Stuart, Joco-Ser. Disc., 13. I drew my Box, and teuk a sneeshon.
1723. Meston, Knt. of Kirk, Poems (1767), 25. Else they are not worth a snishen.
1787–. in Scottish use (Eng. Dial. Dict.).
3. attrib., as sneeshing-box, -horn, -mill or -mull.
1717. Ramsay, Elegy Lucky Wood, x. To the sma’ hours we aft sat still, Nick’d round our toasts and snishing-mill.
1780. W. Forbes, Dominie, I. 79. His fishing-wand, his sneeshing-box.
1786. Burns, Twa Dogs, 133. The luntan pipe, an’ sneeshin mill, Are handed round wi’ right guid will.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxiii. I could take my aith to that sneeshing-mull amang a thousand.
1825. Jamieson, Suppl., Sneeshin-Horn, a horn used for holding snuff.
1858. M. Porteous, Souter Johnny, 28. I’m Souter Johnny’s sneeshin’-Box.
