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Origin and history of snorter

snorter(n.)

c. 1600, "one who or that which snorts," agent noun from snort (v.). The U.S. slang meaning "something large of its kind" is by 1833. Also "high wind, gale" (1855).

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to snorter

snort(v.)

early 15c, snorten, earlier fnorten (late 14c.), "breathe heavily, expel air through the nose with a harsh sound, make the sound of a horse," probably related to snore (v.) or like it imitative of the sound made. The sense of "express contempt" is from 1818. The meaning "inhale cocaine" is attested by 1935. Related: Snorted; snorting.

ripsnorter(n.)

"something of exceptional strength, someone of remarkable qualities," 1840 [Davy Crockett], probably from rip (v.) + snorter (q.v.). Compare riproaring.

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    difficulty
    late 14c., "want of easiness, that quality which makes something laborious or perplexing," from Anglo-French difficulté and directly from Latin difficultatem (nominative difficultas) "difficulty, distress, poverty," from difficilis "hard," from dis- "not, away from" (see dis-) +
    night
    late Old English niht (West Saxon neaht, Anglian næht, neht) "the dark part of a day; the night as a unit of time; darkness," also "absence of spiritual illumination, moral darkness, ignorance," from Proto-Germanic *nahts (source also of Old Saxon and Old High German naht, Old Fr
    thing
    Old English þing "meeting, assembly, council, discussion," later "entity, being, matter" (subject of deliberation in an assembly), also "act, deed, event, material object, body, being, creature," from Proto-Germanic *thinga- "assembly" (source also of Old Frisian thing "assembly,
    anxious
    1620s, "greatly troubled by uncertainties," from Latin anxius "solicitous, uneasy, troubled in mind" (also "causing anxiety, troublesome"), from angere, anguere "to choke, squeeze," figuratively "to torment, cause distress" (from PIE root *angh- "tight, painfully constricted, pai
    bucket
    "pail or open vessel for drawing and carrying water and other liquids," mid-13c., from Anglo-French buquet "bucket, pail," from Old French buquet "bucket," which is from Frankish or some other Germanic source, or a diminutive of cognate Old English buc "pitcher, bulging vessel,"
    specious
    late 14c., "pleasing to the sight, fair," from Latin speciosus "good-looking, beautiful, fair," also "showy, pretended, plausible, specious" (source also of Old French specieux, specieuse), from species "appearance, form, figure, beauty" (see species). Meaning "seemingly desirabl
    necromancy
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    "a Conceit arising from the use of two Words that agree in the Sound, but differ in the Sense" [Addison]; "An expression in which the use of a word in two different applications, or the use of two different words pronounced alike or nearly alike, presents an odd or ludicrous idea
    certain
    c. 1300, "determined, fixed," from Old French certain "reliable, sure, assured" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *certanus, extended form of Latin certus "determined, resolved, fixed, settled," of things whose qualities are invariable, "established," also "placed beyond doubt, sure, tru

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