snapdragon

See also: snap-dragon and snap dragon

English

Common snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

Alternative forms

snap dragon
snap-dragon

Etymology

(1570s) From snap +‎ dragon, from children pretending that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print.

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/
Audio (UK) (file)

Noun

snapdragon (countable and uncountable, plural snapdragons)

(countable) Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
- 1998, Stephen H. Howell, Molecular Genetics of Plant Development, Cambridge University Press, page 146,
  Snapdragon leaves are asymmetrical with respect to dorsal-ventral surfaces (Fig. 6.6A).
- 2000, Margaret Roberts, Edible & Medicinal Flowers, New Africa Books (The Spearhead Press), page 72,
  The snapdragon is indigenous to Europe and has been a much loved garden plant since before the Middle Ages, when it was considered an antidote against witchcraft.
- 2006, Lynn Coulter, Gardening with Heirloom Seeds, University of North Carolina Press, page 59,
  Modern snapdragons aren't usually grown for their scent, although some do smell slightly spicy.
(uncountable) A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game.
- 1704, [Jonathan Swift], “Section XI”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], OCLC 752990886, page 198:
  He bore a ſtrange kind of Appetite to Snap-dragon, and to the livid Snuffs of a burning Candle, which he would catch and ſwallow with an Agility, wonderful to conceive; [...]
- 1862, Anthony Trollope, Orley Farm, 1868, Chapman and Hall, page 159,
  "And now for snap-dragon," said Marian.
  "Exactly as you predicted, Mr. Graham," said Madeline; "blind-man's buff at a quarter past three, and snap-dragon at five."
- 2014, Stephanie Barron, On Hosting Your Regency-Era Christmas Party, Soho Press, page 13,
  From the 16th to 19th centuries, no Christmas Eve celebration was complete without a hearty game of Snapdragon in the parlor.
- 2014, Sabrina Jeffries, When Sparks Fly, Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star Books), unnumbered page,
  "I hope we play snapdragon," eight-year-old Timothy Metcalf said.
  "I wish we could," Ellie said, "but I doubt Papa will allow it. He'll say snatching raisins from a burning bowl of brandy is too dangerous."
  "But snapdragon is a Christmas tradition!" protested Percy.

Synonyms

(any plant of the genus Antirrhinum): dragon flower
(game): flapdragon

Derived terms

common snapdragon
snapdragon double

Translations

any plant of the genus Antirrhinum

Arabic: أَنْف الْعِجْل‎ m (ʾanf al-ʿijl)
Bengali: গুল ময়মন (gul môyômônô)
Bulgarian: кученце (bg) n (kučence)
Burmese: ကျားပါးစပ် (my) (kya:pa:cap)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 金魚草／金鱼草 (zh) (jīnyúcǎo)
Czech: hledík m
Danish: løvemund c
Dutch: leeuwenbek (nl) m
Esperanto: antirino, leonfaŭko, lupfaŭko
Estonian: lõvilõug
Finnish: leijonankita (fi)
French: gueule-de-loup (fr) f
German: Löwenmäulchen (de) n, Löwenmäuler (de) n pl
Greek: σκυλάκι (el) n (skyláki)
Ancient: ἀνάρρινον n (anárrhinon)
Hebrew: לֹעַ הָאֲרִי‎ (he) m (ló'a ha'arí)
Hungarian: oroszlánszáj (hu), tátika (hu)
Hunsrik: Leebmeilche n
Irish: antairíneam m
Italian: bocca di leone f
Kazakh: есінек (esınek)
Lithuanian: žioveinis ?
Macedonian: зја́јка f (zjájka), зе́јка f (zéjka)
Navajo: shį́náldzidí
Norman: dgeule-dé-lion f (Jersey)
Old English: hundeshéafod
Persian: گل میمون‎
Polish: lwia paszcza f, wyżlin m
Portuguese: boca-de-leão (pt) f, boca-de-lobo f, antirrino m, erva-bezerra (pt) f
Romanian: gura-leului (ro) f
Russian: льви́ный зев (ru) m (lʹvínyj zev)
Spanish: boca de dragón (es) f
Swedish: lejongap (sv) n
Turkish: aslanağzı (tr)
Welsh: trwyn y llo m, safn y llew, ceg fy nain f, pen ci bach m