Howdy! I see a lot of people use the word “SNUFFING”… To me this just doesn’t sound right! I do not “SNUFF,” I “SNIFF” I “SNIFF SNUFF” or I am a “SNUFF SNIFFER.” What is the general consent?
“sniffing” sounds more generic to me than the action we’re performing. Likewise, “inhaled” sounds like smoking and implies a deeper breath than we use for snuff. Technically, we should say we’re “insuffilating” the tobacco. But I agree that it sometimes sounds strange. I think “taking snuff” is a good compromise.
‘To snuff’ is a transitive verb, at least according to the Oxford English Dictionary (probably the closest thing we have to an authority for our wonderfully fluid and flexible language): —Quote— snuff, v.2 Pronunciation: /snʌf/ 1. To draw up or in through the nostrils by the action of inhalation —/Quote— The entry includes a quote from a 1555 source: “Snuffinge vp into theyr nosethryls the pouder.” Having said that, ‘sniffing’ and ‘snuffing’ both work for me. 
I definately snuff. Stefan
I inject it directly into my eyeballs. Have I been doing it wrong?
I said once that i “snorted”, to which my better half corected that i “sniff”. All in all, i prefer “to snuff”.
I dun’no… “Sniffing” seems to have a more refined air about it… “To snuff” seems to be a very short step away from “to snort.” Am I the voice of one crying in the wilderness?
I am snuffing because I am sniffing snuff. However I have been known to insufflate. Sniffing, snuffing, snorting and stuffing is what we do here in the snuff house but in the wilderness of non-snuffers which word do you think would be most self explanatory?
In my local area, “snorting” is the one most people are familiar with (due to the prevalance of pill-heads). If I use the word “sniff”, I have to follow it with the phrase “up my nose.” Most of the others draw blank stares. “Snuffing” causes me to have to explain moist vs. dry snuff since most assume that I mean a dip of moist.
I snuff snuff. ‘Insufflating’ sounds like a medical procedure and ‘sniffing’ is something I do to work out if I need to change my sneakers. I’m not aware (but not certain either) of the word ‘sniff’ being used by any of the small amount of snuff writers (McCausland, Matoom Curtis et al) who seemed to avoid adopting any particular verb on grounds of gentility. ‘Snuff’ seems to be a pleasantly descriptive and utilitarian little word.
I take snuff and am a snuff taker. No sniffing, no snuffing, just taking snuff. And I’m correct about this.
I also take snuff, nothing else sounds quite right.
Pennanngalan brings up a point that strengthens my argument… In my neck of the woods the only “snuff” that people know about is dip. Thus my use of the term “snuff sniffer” to differentiate.
To each his/her own. But…I think ‘snuff’, ‘sniff’ and ‘snort’ are all ultimately onomatopœic.
I snuff my snuff. However when people ask what im doing im sniffing snuff. If im taking some taxi im inhaling snuff.
In your neck of the words, people are ignorant of the meanings of the term snuff. They’re only aware of one definition. That still doesn’t negate the fact that “to snuff” is a perfectly valid transitive verb, as brigstowe pointed out. Sniffing, to me, sounds as if you’re opening the tin, leaning in to get a whiff of the scent, and putting the lid back on without having actually taken any snuff. Also, I’ve never heard anyone refer to taking a pinch of Cope as snuffing, so it’s not really as if you need to differentiate between the two. It seems to me like you’re attempting to jump through semantic hoops to accommodate people who are ignorant of your particular hobby, which just strikes me as silly. If people see you taking a pinch, they’ll understand what you mean when you say you’re snuffing. If you’re not taking a pinch, chances are good you’re being like someone who’s found a new diet or religion; you’re talking about it constantly, thinking everyone is as enthralled with it as you are, when they’re just hoping the eccentric guy will be quiet already. Which is pretty normal when people find something new they like, they want to share it with others. Still, I see this whole debate on semantics as only serving to aid people who will most likely never become aware that it had ever occurred.
@shikitohno, do you really, really think this was necessary? I don’t.
shikitohno is absolutely right… In my neck of the woods, when one “takes a pinch of snuff” they are sticking a wad between their cheek and gums. “To snuff” is technically correct, but there is a big difference between making a technically correct statement and coherently communicating with people. I know – I’m a technical writer. To communicate, one does not make a statement that can be understood… You make a statement that can NOT be MISUNDERSTOOD. There is a big difference!
We rural and uneducated people (WV) hear “snuffing” and make the assumption it concerns moist tobacco since that is what we are familiar with. Even the dry snuffs are dipped here in the US. I don’t know why, but that is how it is. If someone asks, I see no problem speaking to others in a way that they can understand without a drawn-out explanation. I stopped talking over people’s heads years ago, having to explain what I was saying in detail got rather tiresome.
Is that because the moist snuff / dip which folks use in the States evolved from the dry stuff?