Thread: Copyright infringement terminology
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Old 03-12-2010, 04:55 PM   #74
Ben Thornton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant View Post
So from now on I'll be snaffling the occasional ebook that's otherwise unobtainable.
Snaffle is much older than snarf (16th Century vs. 1960s), snarf having increased use recently through the technical community. The OED doesn't list snarf at all (up to the versions that I have), and Chambers only has the meaning of eating quickly. I wonder if the comparison by country reflects different usage for the same sense, or perhaps more the fact that .com sites dominate technical discussions?

Both words have a meaning of obtaining something by rather dubious means - in a way they are both suggestive of a kind of harmless stealing. If we wanted to avoid that association, perhaps we could use another synonym - "liberate" They want to be free, after all.
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