Don’t Snigger at Me, You Oaf!
Once again, a controversy over spellings darkens the skies. Is it “snicker” or “snigger”? Let the Grammar Guru help, won’t you?
Snicker means “to utter a half-stifled, possibly snide, laugh.”
Snigger means “a disrespectful laugh, usually partly-stifled.”
In essence, they are synonyms, although snigger carries more negative connotations of disrespect or furtiveness, usually giving the idea that whatever is being laughed at is slightly risque or “not quite nice.” It also seems that snigger is used primarily by those whose native tongue is British English, while snicker is preferred by those who grew up under the influence of American English.
The two words are derived from the same Dutch root, and snigger seems to have been an alternate form that entered the language sometime around 1706. I believe that Shakespeare used snigger, though I can’t find a reference at present. I know that Rudyard Kipling used it in his poem “Cleared.”
So lay down your arms, my dear Blogging Friends. Both words are perfectly acceptable, though we Americans may be forgiven an occasional snicker at the amusing verbal idiosyncrasies of our British friends.