Etymology From Scots snoot, snout (“snout”), from Middle English snowte, from Middle Dutch snute; ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snūt, from Proto-Germanic *snūtaz. Doublet of snout.
The sidecars— sneer if you will, you purists and gastronomic snoots— at Perino's in Wilshire in Los Angeles.1943, Lucius Morris Beebe, Snoot if You Must, D. Appleton-Century Company, Incorporated, page 44:
At first, I had no idea you had money, and you didn't seem like a snoot. The place where you were renting was a dumpy place. When you turned out to have money, I was surprised.1990 February 4, Vanessa Nemeth, Stephanie Poggi, “Bumps And All”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 12:
2 more examples
In defense of low-grade teas, I must say they are very cheap, and I have a large box in my cupboard right next to the higher quality, more snoot-worthy varieties.2013 October 29, Moosewood Collective, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 96:
“Do you know any of Larry's other partners?” “Some.” “Do you know Mary Lou Goddard?” “Oh, that snoot.” “Snoot?” “Yes, Larry told me about her. He went out with her a couple of times and then she got possessive.”2014 January 31, Robert B Parker, Perish Twice, Oldcastle Books, →ISBN, page 73:
2
A language pedant or snob; one who practices linguistic elitism.
There are lots of epithets for people like this—Grammar Nazis, Usage Nerds, Syntax Snobs, the Language Police. The term I was raised with is SNOOT.2001 April 23, David Foster Wallace, “Tense Present: Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage”, in Harper’s Magazine, volume 302, number April 2001, page 41:
And then he did something which must be unprecedented in jurisprudence. He leaped from his chair, ran over to the old man, and shaking his fist under his nose, roared: 'Listen, you! If you keep on with this stuff, I'll punch you one in the snoot![1966], Friedrich Reck, translated by Paul Rubens, Diary of a Man in Despair, New York Review of Books, →ISBN, page 173:
4
Internet, Childish, Humorous Snout; especially of a dog ("doggo"), cat ("catto"), or snake ("snek").
5
Arts, Entertainment, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Photography, Theater A cylindrical or conical attachment used on a spotlight to restrict spill light.
Snoots have traditionally been round in shape when attached to studio strobes, but with flash photography, they have taken on a more rectangular shape because the flash heads are rectangular.2014 December 26, Alyn Stafford, Flash Techniques for Location Portraiture: Single and Multiple-Flash Lighting Techniques, Amherst Media, →ISBN, page 36:
Etymology From Scots snoot, snout (“snout”), from Middle English snowte, from Middle Dutch snute; ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snūt, from Proto-Germanic *snūtaz. Doublet of snout.
Which might mean shaping it, gelling it, snooting it, barn dooring it, and putting it on a stand or a clamp. Maybe taking the dome diffuser off. Perhaps zooming it. Oh my. And you thought you were just taking a picture.2011, Joe McNally, Sketching Light: