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snook

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cock a snook at someone

to show or express defiance or scorn at someone. He cocked a snook at the traffic cop and tore up the ticket. The boy cocked a snook at the park attendant and walked on the grass.

See also: cock, snook

cock a snook

  (British old-fashioned)

to show that you do not respect something or someone by doing something that insults them (usually + at ) In the end he refused to accept his award, cocking a snook at the film industry for which he had such contempt.

See also: cock, snook

cock a snook

Thumb one's nose, as in As soon as the teacher turned her back, the boys cocked a snook at her. This expression was first recorded in 1791 and the precise source of snook, here used in the sense of "a derisive gesture," has been lost. It is more widely used in Britain but is not unknown in America.

See also: cock, snook