snap at

snap at idiom
Speak irritably or abruptly to someone, as in This teacher was always snapping at the children. This use of snap transfers an animal's sudden bite at something to a verbal attack. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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