snorting

snorting

1. present participle and gerund of snort

snorting (plural snortings)

1. A snort sound or action.
   • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 214:

     At length it grew dark; they though, they heard a sound of whizzing and snorting in the air, such as the swans use to make in the; winter time.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

     Gaining the more open water, the bracing breeze waxed fresh; the little Moss tossed the quick foam from her bows, as a young colt his snortings.

snorting (comparative more snorting, superlative most snorting)

1. (colloquial) Very large or significant; whopping.
   • 2005, Chris Pascoe, A Cat Called Birmingham:

     […] a snorting great monster in the shed […]

   • 2008, Mark Gatiss, "Cat Among the Pigeons" (TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's Poirot novel)

     Mr. Poirot has been caught up in some absolutely snorting killings.

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