sneck
/snɛk
/Scottish & Northern English
noun
A latch on a door or window: she quietly lifted the sneck and slipped out...
- ‘Then again, some old maid's door will be slily fastened by tying tightly across the door jambs, in front of and to the ‘sneck’, a piece of wood to prevent her coming out of doors till released by a kind neighbour next morning.’
- After a good helping of steak and ale pie washed down with a pint of ‘sneck lifter’ at lunch time personally, I was full.
verb [with object]
Close or fasten (a door or window) with a latch: sneck the door and hide under the bed when they come...
- Before going to bed I barred the front door and snecked the door of our apartment.
- He snecks his door to ward off harm.
- A click told him that the door had been snecked against him.
Origin
Middle English: obscurely related to snatch.