Vocabulary 1

Snide (adjective)

Pronunciation: [snId]

Definition: In speaking of what someone says or writes: condescendingly malicious, sneering, 'snooty.'

Usage: Today's word has all the properties of an English word of pure-bred Germanic origin (though see Etymology), untainted by borrowing from any of our traditional sources. This being the case, the adverb "snidely" and noun "snideness" are perfectly acceptable.

Suggested Usage: Snideness is not simple rudeness; it is a jab that suggests the utterer is in some sense superior: "I didn't like the snide comment she made about having to adjust to 'plebeian' flights to Paris since the Concorde flights were discontinued. " Of course, there are many shades of superiority: "I was taken aback by his snide remark that you ride either a Harley or a motorized scooter."

Etymology: No one seems to know where today's word comes from. Stef Wates, to whom we are indebted for suggesting it, finds it hard to believe that this word is unrelated to Yiddish shnaydn (from German "schneiden") "to cut" or Dutch snijden "to cut." After all, a snide remark is a cutting remark. The problem with this theory is that today's word originally meant "false, bogus, counterfeit, " as snide jewelry or snide political causes. This meaning of the word can be traced back to 1859 while the current sense is traceable only to 1933. Words, like so many other things, are not always what they seem.