snook·er (snʊk'ər)
n.
Pocket billiards played with 15 red balls and 6 balls of other colors.

tr.v., -ered, -er·ing, -ers.

1. Slang.
   1. To lead (another) into a situation in which all possible choices are undesirable; trap.
   2. To fool; dupe: "Snookered by a lot of malarkey about drilling costs, a Texas jury ... added $3 billion of punitive damages" (New Republic).
2. To leave one's opponent in the game of snooker unable to take a direct shot without striking a ball out of the required order.

[Origin unknown.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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