thumb the nose

[Geoffrey S. Nathan]

It happens that I do have Kluge, who says of 'Schnauze' (translating roughly)
'Attested since the 16th century, also as schnausse (which might be the expected
phonological form). Modern Low German snüt, Middle English snoute, Modern English snout.'
Pfeifer's Etymologisches Wöterbuch des Deutschen (Berlin: Akademie-Verlag) has a similar story.
FWIW.

Geoff

Geoffrey S. Nathan
Faculty Liaison, C&IT
and Associate Professor, Linguistics Program
+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)
+1 (313) 577-8621 (English/Linguistics)


> I think just variation within English can account for the snoot,
> snook,
> snout variants. [For the German cognate, Schnauze, according to the
> ety
> in my Wahrig it's from Middle Low German "snut(e)", although there's
> a
> Middle High German relation. I haven't got a Kluge for the real
> dirt.]
> --

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