depoix Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 It's true that the Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning of small eel for snig (from 1482), etymology unknown, but that seems to be coincidental. S. O. Addy in his Glossary of Sheffield words (1888) defines snig as a branch of a tree or pole put though both wheels of a cart, or through the hind wheels of a wagon, to act as a brake when going down hill. He also defines it as a verb--to trail or move trees along the ground by means of a chain drawn by a horse. The noun might therefore represent a transferred epithet--the horses have to fight the friction of dragging trees; parts of trees help to provide friction to dragging wheels so the cart won't run downhill onto the horse. I suspect the word has a Norse origin. S.O ADDY was right we had steel snigs down the pit ,they were used to stop the tubs from running away on an incline ,the snig refered to concerning the carts is actually a wooden boot ,attached to the frame of the carriage by chains it wedges under the wheel to lock it and prevents the wagon running away some boots were fitted to the back wheels on steep hills ,it took the strain when the horse rested halfway up the hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostrider Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Just found a reference in Websters: Snig Track: Danish translation - stikspor (dray-road, rack, rackway, road, skidding road, timber slide, travois road). This term is still in use in Austalia & New Zealand for a steep track used to haul logs in a forest. Food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grinder Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Any one know how Snig hill in town got it's name ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey19 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Any one know how Snig hill in town got it's name ? I think snigs were the name given to the wedges put behind horse drawn carts wheels to stop the sliding backwards when stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookingfat Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Any one know how Snig hill in town got it's name ? yes snig hill in days gone by it was a steap road steaper than it is now when horse and carts went up or down there they would slip back down or fail to stop doing down so the driver had blocks of wood like wedges on a chain which would drag behind near the wheel and if it startedslip up or down the hill the wood would wedge under the wheel and stop it going any further and thes wedges of wood were called snigs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbeard Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 If you search the forum you will find the question has been asked before. http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=543503 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian White Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 This was covered in some detail in the Star sometime in the 40s. In a daily column "By The Way", the writer told us that "Snig" horses were rented out to carters so they could get their loads up the hill. The snig was a length of chain used to hitch the snig horse to the front of the cart. Subsequent to that, somebody wrote in to ask for the origin of the word snig. Nobody answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clydesdale Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Hi,BRYAN, did you ever live on parson cross? as my brother had a good mate by that name.Lived just of Remington Rd. cheers clydesdale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Macbeth Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Threads merged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian White Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Sorry, I didn't. I grew up in Longley. There are a few Brian White's walking around. Just look in the phone book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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