#1134 Snout Variations

Today I’d like to sniff out the cultural and linguistic implications of the term Snausages. As you’ve no doubt heard, there has been a treat on the market for a while aimed at dogs, called Snausages.
One would presume the reason they named these things Snausages is because they are meant to resemble sausages. The insertion of the N to make it Snausages is, I guess, necessary so folks won’t accidentally prepare them for the family for meals.
“What’s for breakfast, Honey?”
“Snausages, you lazy-as-a-dog husband you, we’re also having neggs and tnoast.”
Or maybe Snausages and snauerkraut. Get all German with the things.
But you got to wonder, what is the s-n- meant to imply? I’m guessing it’s the term snout. Because dogs have snouts and people have noses. A good way to imply a person’s nose is as big as an animal’s in proportion to the rest of his face is to say he has a snout-like protuberance.
Proboscis, trunk, snout, these are words that are never complimentary when applied to a human. Therefore Snausages is indisputably and intuitively an animal food.
There’s another term that describes intimate facial contact, which often includes kissing and nuzzling. That word is snogging. And, since it’s meant as term of endearment, it’s unfortunate that the word snogging invokes that snout-like s-n- sound.
Another example on that continuum is that great Yiddish word for nose, schnozzle. A schnozzle is not a good nose. It’s a nose that is either large and red, or one that’s used in the pursuit of things that some people don’t like.
Often, overly inquisitive people have schnozzles—busybodies, nosy parkers. It is sometimes shortened to schnoz. Not to be confused with schnook, which is a stupid person. As in, “I popped the schnook in the schnoz when he came in here trying to schmooze with me and ask his nosy questions.
It’s obvious schnozzle and Snausages come from the same snout-like roots. And that’s probably what the manufacturer of Snausages revealed when he responded to critics who disagreed with his name.
“Keep your schnozzle out of my business.”
America, ya gotta love it.