Snog

Snog (noun / verb / British slang)

(Also heard as: Proper snog, Snogging, Having a snog, Snogged)

Definition: A passionate kiss or heavy make-out session. Nothing polite or peck-on-the-cheek about it—it’s full-on kissing.

Pronunciation: /snɒɡ/

Where It Comes From: Popped up around the Second World War in British dialect. Some reckon it links to the old English word snug, meaning to get close and cozy, but by the 1960s and 70s it was stamped firmly into British teenage culture, school discos, and teen mags like Jackie and Mizz.

How People Actually Use It: Heard across school gates, uni halls, and sticky nightclub floors. It’s what you gossip about the morning after a night out, tease your mates about when they vanish by the bar, or spot in the corner of a house party.

Examples in the Wild:

• “Saw them two having a proper snog behind the smoking shelter.”

  Translation: I saw them kissing passionately outside the venue.

• “Did you end up snogging anyone at that house party?”

  Translation: Did you make out with anyone during the night?

• “They were right in the middle of a snog when the lights came on.”

  Translation: They were kissing when the club turned the lights on at closing time.

Similar Slang: Make out, Pull, French kiss, Neck, Shift, Smooch, Cop off