Snap, n. [Cf. D. snap a snatching. See Snap, v. t.] 1. A sudden breaking or rupture of any substance.
2. A sudden, eager bite; a sudden seizing, or effort to seize, as with the teeth.
3. A sudden, sharp motion or blow, as with the finger sprung from the thumb, or the thumb from the finger.
4. A sharp, abrupt sound, as that made by the crack of a whip; as, the snap of the trigger of a gun.
5. A greedy fellow. L'Estrange.
6. That which is, or may be, snapped up; something bitten off, seized, or obtained by a single quick movement; hence, a bite, morsel, or fragment; a scrap.
He's a nimble fellow,
And alike skilled in every liberal science,
As having certain snaps of all. B. Jonson.
7. A sudden severe interval or spell; — applied to the weather; as, a cold snap. Lowell.
8. A small catch or fastening held or closed by means of a spring, or one which closes with a snapping sound, as the catch of a bracelet, necklace, clasp of a book, etc.
9. (Zoöl.) A snap beetle.
10. A thin, crisp cake, usually small, and flavored with ginger; — used chiefly in the plural.
11. Briskness; vigor; energy; decision.
12. Any circumstance out of which money may be made or an advantage gained.
Snap back(Football), the act of snapping back the ball. — Snap beetle, orSnap bug(Zoöl.), any beetle of the family Elateridæ, which, when laid on its back, is able to leap to a considerable height by means of a thoracic spring; — called also snapping beetle. — Snap flask(Molding), a flask for small work, having its sides separable and held together by latches, so that the flask may be removed from around the sand mold. — Snap judgment, a judgment formed on the instant without deliberation. — Snap lock, a lock shutting with a catch or snap. — Snap riveting, riveting in which the rivets have snapheads formed by a die or swaging tool. — Snap shot, a quick offhand shot, without deliberately taking aim.