E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Sneck Posset.
To give one a sneck posset is to slam the door in his face (Cumberland and Westmoreland). The “sneck” or snick is the latch of a door, and to “sneck the door in one’s face” is to shut a person out. Mrs. Browning speaks of “nicking” the door.
1
“The lady closed
That door, and nicked the lock.”
Aurora Leigh, book vi. line 1,067.
Probably allied to niche, to put the latch into its niche.
