| 释义 |
▪ I. snooker, n.1 Woolwich slang.|ˈsnuːkə(r)|
A newly joined cadet.
1872Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 148/1 These embryo generals..were called by the somewhat sneering terms of ‘snookers’ or ‘last-joined’.
▪ II. snooker, n.2|ˈsnuːkə(r)|
[Of obscure origin.]
A game, played with balls on a billiard table, combining pool and pyramids. Also snooker('s) pool.
It is commonly held that the word represents an allusive use of snooker n.1, a newly joined cadet, first applied to the game by Col. Sir Neville Chamberlain (1856–1944), a subaltern in the Devonshire Regiment stationed at Jubbulpore in central India in 1875, with reference to the rawness of the play of a fellow officer. The story is often repeated, e.g. in The Times (1980) 29 Dec. 9.
1889Drayson Pract. Billiards 110 The game of snooker. 1896W. Broadfoot Billiards xiii. 424 Snooker—or to give it its full title, Snooker's Pool—is a hybrid game, half pool and half pyramids. 1905A. I. R. Glasfurd Rifle in Ind. Jungle 70 The old Doctor and we two, after several games of ‘Snookers’, had passed into the ante-room.
Hence ˈsnooker v. (see quots.); also fig. (chiefly pass.), to place in an impossible position; to balk, ‘stymie’; ˈsnookered ppl. a., ˈsnookering vbl. n.
1889Drayson Pract. Billiards 111 If each pool ball is covered by a pyramid ball, the player is said to be ‘snookered’. 1896W. Broadfoot Billiards xiii. 426 If the striker is by law obliged to play on a red ball or on a coloured ball, but..is unable to do so directly, he is said to be snookered. 1915Morning Post 8 Apr. 5/1 If we had fired the Germans might have sent up a light and then we should have been snookered all right. 1927C. Mackenzie Vestal Fire i. i. 5 One of the recognized amusements of a Sirene dinner-party was to try to snooker Joseph R. Neave over Dante. 1935Times 5 Oct. 5/6 The snookering all through was clever. 1970K. Giles Death in Church iii. 65 In France they might have had a chance..but here they were snookered.
Add:2. In this game, the placement of the balls in such a way that the object ball is blocked by another and cannot be struck directly by the cue ball; a shot which achieves this placement.
1924W. Smith How to play Snooker vi. 67 If you can contrive to leave a snooker, so much the better. 1936J. Davis Improve Your Snooker xi. 57 If a snooker will pay you better than attempting to pot a ball, then by all means snooker your opponent. 1965Billiards & Snooker (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) (ed. 5) 28/2 If no snooker is possible.., the mere fact of having placed the cue ball far away from the ball ‘on’ handicaps the opponent. 1986Snooker Scene July 19/2 Leading 10-8, Harris was well placed to go three in front again with Grennan needing a snooker on the green. |
