In later use Sc. and north. Also 1–5 snel, 3 snæll, 4–5 snelle. [Common Teut., OE. snel, snell, = OS. (MLG. and LG., MDu. and Du.), OHG. (MHG.) snel, snell- (G. schnell), swift, quick, active, etc., ON. snjallr (Icel. snjallur, Norw. snjall, snjell, snell; Sw. snäll, Da. snild); the Scand. languages exhibit a great variety of senses.]
A. adj. 1. Of persons: Quick in movement or action; prompt, smart, active, strenuous; † good.
In ME. freq. as a general epithet of commendation. In later Sc. use tending towards the sense of ‘sharp, keen.’
Beowulf, 2971. Ne meahte se snella sunu Wonredes ealdum ceorle hondslyht ʓiofan.
a. 1000. Bi Monna Cræftum, 52 (Gr.). Sum bið ryniʓ,… sum on londe snel, feþespediʓ.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 13. Þat man be waker, and liht, and snel,… and erliche rise.
c. 1250. Meid. Maregrete, lv. Olibrius heitte þe mai ut of prisun don; Ðe sergaunz were snelle ant broutten hire son.
a. 1300. Body & Soul, in Map’s Poems 334. Ȝwere ben thine cokes snelle, that scholden gon greithe thi mete?
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 132. Of messengers fulle snelle he sent hider to loke.
c. 1425. Seven Sag. (P.), 316. The messangers were ful snelle, Hastilich the way thay nomen.
c. 1450. Cov. Myst., xii. (Shaks. Soc.), 121. Byd hym with Mary abyde and dwelle, For it [is] my sone ful snelle That she is with i-wys.
1720. Ramsay, Edinb.’s Salut. to Ld. Carnarvon, vi. That in ilk action, wise and snell, You may shaw manly fire. Ibid. (1721), Elegy Patie Birnie, ix. Jove’s nimble son and leckie snell Made the first fiddle of a shell.
1768. Ross, Helenore, 9. Fu’ o’ good nature, sharp an’ snell with a’.
1817. [R. D. C. Brown], Lintoun Green, 91. The Smith, black, bardy, wee, and snell, Served round the nappy ale.
1859. J. Brown, Rab & Fr. (1891), 10/2. That horny-handed, snell, peremptory little man.
1889. J. Robertson, Early Relig. Israel (1892), iii. 57. Amos is a lithe, keen, snell man.
absol. a. 1000. Judith, 199 (Gr.). Þa wearð snelra werod snude ʓeʓearewod.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 526. Þanne erest hit is isene Hwar is þe snelle, hwar þe kene.
b. Similarly of animals (or things). ? Obs.
a. 1000. Phœnix, 123 (Gr.), Se haswa fuʓel … fareð feþrum snell flyhte on lyfte.
a. 1000. Andreas, 505. On brim snoweð snel under seʓle.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 918. Þu farest so doþ on yde[l] wel Þat springeþ bi burne þat is snel.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 4668. Mi stede þai han, þat is so snelle.
a. 1450. Le Morte Arth., 2234. Stedys that were bolde and snelle.
1481. Caxton, Reynard, xxxix. (Arb.), 106. So subtyl and snelle was the foxe, that many tymes whan the wulf wende wel to be sure of hym, he sterte thenne bytwene his legges.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 25. Thay [sc. solan geese] ar sa snell and suift of flicht.
† c. Const. to (with sb. or inf.). Obs.
c. 1150. Canterb. Ps. xiii. 3 [6]. Hiræ fet hræþe vel snelle to æʓiotænæ vel to scedende blod.
c. 1275. Sinners Beware, 41, in O. E. Misc., 73. Ne may no tunge telle … of þare pyne of helle; Þar-to we beoþ to snelle.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 437. Hie boldus to bulde be we not snelle.
13[?]. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (1901), 558. To fleo folye be snelle.
c. 1400. Rowland & O., 403. To arme hym wele þay were full snelle.
2. Keen-witted, clever, sharp, acute, smart.
c. 1425. Seven Sages (P.), 53. The mayster was wys and snel.
c. 1440. York Myst., xli. 111. Melachiell, that proffett snell, Hais tolde vs or that babb so bright.
a. 1450. Myrc, 121. Teche hem alle to be war and snel, That they conne sey þe wordes wel.
1719. Ramsay, First Answ. Hamilton, x. Europe had nane mair snack and snell At verse or prose.
1861. J. Brown, Horæ Subs., II. 273. He had no want … of quick, snell remark, often witty and full of spirit.
3. Severe, sharp, unsparing.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 16628 (Trin.). Sore þei auȝte him drede: Þe folke þat were so snelle [Cott. fell].
a. 1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, IV. 184. [To] caus Ladeis to … be haldin … Baith odious, and snell as ane serpent.
1742. R. Forbes, Ajax (1755), 17. Fa wi’ snell words him sair did snib.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxi. He’s snell and dure eneugh in casting up their nonsense to them, as if he had nane o’ his ain.
1833. M. Scott, Tom Cringle, xii. Conscience is a rough lad,… and I am keen and snell also.
4. Of weather: Keen, bitter, severe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6018. Þe seuend on-sand þat siþen fell, Was a weder ful selcut snell [Gött. fell].
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 377. Sa hard anoy thaim then assayit, Off hungir, cauld, with schowris snell.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. Prol. 139. Chiverand for cauld, the sessoun was so snell.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 342. The snaw so snell ay dryvand with sic drift.
1677. Nicolson, in Trans. R. Soc. Lit. (1870), IX. 319. Snell, sharp, bitter.
1785. Burns, To a Mouse, iv. Bleak December’s winds ensuin, Baith snell an’ keen!
1822. Blackw. Mag., XI. 119. The wintry air is snell and keen.
1881. R. Buchanan, God & the Man, III. 209. We … passed the snell season without the loss of a single soul aboard.
5. Grievous, heavy, stinging; rigorous; painful.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7759. O þis batail þat was sa snell, Þe force a-pon þe king it fell. Ibid. (13[?]), 16638 (Gött.). Þai gaue him buffetes snell.
14[?]. Sir Beues (E), 4312 + 147. In hys hand a mase ful snel, Þat was maad off good steel.
1755. Ramsay, To J. Clerk, 88. [He] gave the scarlet whore a box Mair snell than all the pelts of Knox.
1790. A. Wilson, 2nd Ep. to Kennedy, Poet. Wks. (c. 1846), 117. This is the last, the snellest lick, That I’ll e’er get frae Fortune’s stick.
1824. Scott, Redgauntlet, ch. xi. That was a snell law.
1879. J. White, Jottings, 154 (E.D.D.). Bear life’s rebuffs, Tho’ they’re aft unco snell.
b. Sharp-tasted; pungent.
1835. Carrick, Laird Logan, 172 (E.D.D.). That’s just the mustard I mean, an gay snell mustard he is whiles.
6. Shrill, clear-sounding.
c. 1730. Robin Hood & Bp. of Hereford, vii. in Child, Ballads, III. 198/2. He put his horn in to his mouth, And a snell blast he did blow.
c. 1820. Beattie, Arnha’ (1826), 58. Douff like drum, and snell like cymble.
B. adv. 1. Quickly, promptly, swiftly.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 14946. Wat yee breþer qui … I weind again sua snell?
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 801. His ost him answerd snelle, ‘Of þat turnament y schal ȝou telle.’
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 556. Hom aȝeyn he come fulle snelle.
1895. Crockett, Men of Moss-Hags, xlvii. We held fast and snell to the eastward.
2. Vigorously, strongly, keenly, etc.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 1322 (Kölbing). Þe messangers bad him þo telle, Whi it was he louȝ so snelle.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxix. (Placidas), 519. Ȝet wes lewit hym a schele to schrape his scabbis rycht snel.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 3995. Sire Porrus … him on þe pan strikis So snelle at he snatirs with.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, II. 250. He saw, As to hys sycht, dede had him swappyt snell.
1728. Ramsay, Robt., Richy, & Sandy (1877), II. 5. Ae rough night the blatt’ring winds blew snell.
1773. Fergusson, Auld Reekie, 35, Poems 1789, II. 93. Antrin fock may ken how snell Auld Reikie will at morning smell.
1884. R. Buchanan, The Lights of Leith, I. i. While the wintry gale … Blew snell thro’ sail and shroud.
