to cock a snook
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To make a long nose; to put the thumb to the nose and spread wide the fingers. This is a very ancient gesture of disrespect, contempt, or defiance.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to cock a snook” mean?
To make a long nose; to put the thumb to the nose and spread wide the fingers. This is a very ancient gesture of disrespect, contempt, or defiance.
Is “to cock a snook” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.