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Schnüffeln — meaning in English

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English meaning

  • gumshoe noun A private detective (originally so called because rubber-soled shoes let them move quietly).
  • nose noun The part of the face that contains the nostrils and is used for breathing and smelling.
  • nuzzle verb To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something.
  • pry verb To inquire into someone else's private affairs in a nosy or unwelcome way.
  • sleuth noun A detective, especially a skilled one who investigates crimes or mysteries.
  • sniff verb To inhale audibly through the nose, often to smell something.
  • sniffle verb To sniff repeatedly and quietly, usually because of a cold or crying.
  • snoop verb To secretly investigate or pry into someone else's private matters.

Senses

Schnüffeln is used for these senses in English:

  • gumshoe (slang) To act as a detective.
  • nose (transitive) To push with one's nose; to nuzzle.
  • nuzzle Often followed by in or into: to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc.
  • sleuth (intransitive, transitive) To act as a detective; to try to discover who committed a crime, or, more generally, to solve a mystery.
  • sniff (ambitransitive) To make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something.
  • snoop The act of snooping.
  • snoop To secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others.

gumshoe — full definition

  1. noun A private detective (originally so called because rubber-soled shoes let them move quietly).
  2. noun A rubber overshoe or sneaker.
  3. verb To work as a detective, especially by quietly trailing someone.

nose — full definition

  1. noun The part of the face that contains the nostrils and is used for breathing and smelling.
  2. noun The projecting front or tip of an object, such as an aircraft or vehicle.
  3. noun A person's sense of smell, or the ability to detect or judge something, especially wine or a story worth investigating.
  4. verb To move slowly and carefully forward, front end first.
  5. verb To pry or snoop into something, often as "nose around" or "nose into."

Related German words