Etymology and meaning of the word "snog"


Having looked to urban dictionary, witionary, online etymology, dictionary.com, Wikipedia and wordfreaks.tribe.net, I have found a wide variance in the etymology and definition of the word snog. I believe this to be a British phrase meaning simply kissing, but several of the above references push it to the level of making out.


Does the OED, or a some specific example in common usage provide any insight or guidance to differentiate the connotation?



Answer



The phonosemantics of sn-initial words includes two body-part foci, of which one is



  • Nose, Mouth, and Respiration (snooze sniff sneeze snort snore snuff)


Snog 'kiss', and its attendant courtship metaphors, like flirting, fits right into this frame. It's not a part of my idiolect, however, and I didn't include it in my database. So the numbers in the link are off by one; with the addition of snog, the page should read




  • SN- 39 out of 45 coherent assonances



    • A. Nose (20




Thank you.


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