And I imagine the “nose” association with “snitch” is strengthened by the general use of sn- to refer to things nasal… (sneer, sneeze, snooty, snot,etc.).
cavario h.:
November 13th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Are you familiar with the word “Snitch” being used colloquially to mean “to steal with stealth and quickness”?
Snitch means to tattle or rat someone out slang for tattletale or blabbermouth
Leo smith:
April 24th, 2015 at 11:55 am
Why is snitching such a dirty word?. Recently I had the most unfortunate conversation with a friend who insist that he would never give the authorities any information on any crime he witness been committed against a innocent person because that would be snitching and he’s not a snitch. I told him I was always under the impression that snitching only applies to individuals who are partners in crime and one decides to turn in the other to the police but he said no and that once you give information to the police that’s snitching
GMJ:
September 14th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
Leo, if you’re black in America snitching on anyone for anything is akin to selling out that person/condemning them to the brutality of white police. So even if you see someone get murdered in the street you don’t snitch because otherwise it might be you getting murdered in the street or snitched on (even if you did nothing wrong). It’s like “hey, we’re all in this shitty situation together so let’s not make it worse for anyone.” Especially when you consider that crime is often the only chance of escape and putting food on the table for an oppressed group of people.
Mister Rigel:
May 12th, 2016 at 8:48 pm
I’ve always heard the rhyming origin of “grass” being “grass in the park” for “narc.” Though grasshopper for copper works too.
Serious Roger.:
July 16th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
The term grass comes from the 1940’s song Whispering Grass. The term grass then became popular use for someone passing on information.
Egmond:
January 8th, 2020 at 5:47 pm
The cockney use of ‘grass’ for informer is not from ‘grasshopper’. In fact it is not rhyming slang at all it’s derived from the popular song Whispering Grass by the Ink Spots from the 1940s. As in ‘Whispering grass don’t tell the trees cos the trees don’t need to know’.
admin:
January 10th, 2020 at 10:19 pm
“grass” for “informer” was already in use by the 1930s.
The impression I had about grassing is that if you are doing crime with partners in crime and than saying something about your partner to make yourself look better in the eyes of the law.
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marcparis:
February 19th, 2008 at 9:34 am
And I imagine the “nose” association with “snitch” is strengthened by the general use of sn- to refer to things nasal… (sneer, sneeze, snooty, snot,etc.).
cavario h.:
November 13th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Are you familiar with the word “Snitch” being used colloquially to mean “to steal with stealth and quickness”?
Treefeeling.com:
February 18th, 2011 at 9:58 am
I love it. What a double oxy moron
zio:
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Snitch means to tattle or rat someone out slang for tattletale or blabbermouth
Leo smith:
April 24th, 2015 at 11:55 am
Why is snitching such a dirty word?. Recently I had the most unfortunate conversation with a friend who insist that he would never give the authorities any information on any crime he witness been committed against a innocent person because that would be snitching and he’s not a snitch. I told him I was always under the impression that snitching only applies to individuals who are partners in crime and one decides to turn in the other to the police but he said no and that once you give information to the police that’s snitching
GMJ:
September 14th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
Leo, if you’re black in America snitching on anyone for anything is akin to selling out that person/condemning them to the brutality of white police. So even if you see someone get murdered in the street you don’t snitch because otherwise it might be you getting murdered in the street or snitched on (even if you did nothing wrong). It’s like “hey, we’re all in this shitty situation together so let’s not make it worse for anyone.” Especially when you consider that crime is often the only chance of escape and putting food on the table for an oppressed group of people.
Mister Rigel:
May 12th, 2016 at 8:48 pm
I’ve always heard the rhyming origin of “grass” being “grass in the park” for “narc.” Though grasshopper for copper works too.
Serious Roger.:
July 16th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
The term grass comes from the 1940’s song Whispering Grass. The term grass then became popular use for someone passing on information.
Egmond:
January 8th, 2020 at 5:47 pm
The cockney use of ‘grass’ for informer is not from ‘grasshopper’. In fact it is not rhyming slang at all it’s derived from the popular song Whispering Grass by the Ink Spots from the 1940s. As in ‘Whispering grass don’t tell the trees cos the trees don’t need to know’.
admin:
January 10th, 2020 at 10:19 pm
“grass” for “informer” was already in use by the 1930s.
Alberthe Klein:
September 18th, 2020 at 6:36 pm
The impression I had about grassing is that if you are doing crime with partners in crime and than saying something about your partner to make yourself look better in the eyes of the law.