snipe

A Wilson’s snipe (limicoline bird), Gallinago delicata.

Meanings

Any of various limicoline game birds of the genera Gallinago, Lymnocryptes and Coenocorypha in the family Scolopacidae, having a long, slender, nearly straight beak.
A fool; a blockhead.
A shot fired from a concealed place.
A member of the engineering department on a ship.
A goal.
A cigarette butt.
An animated promotional logo during a television show.
A strip of copy announcing some late breaking news or item of interest, typically placed in a print advertisement in such a way that it stands out from the ad.
A bottle of wine measuring 0.1875 liters, one fourth the volume of a standard bottle; a quarter bottle or piccolo.
A sharp, clever answer; sarcasm.
A note or sticker attached to an existing poster to provide further information (e.g. an event is sold out), political criticism, etc.

To hunt snipe.
To shoot at individuals from a concealed place.
To shoot with a sniper rifle.
To watch a timed online auction and place a winning bid against (the current high bidder) at the last possible moment.
To nose (a log) to make it drag or slip easily in skidding.
To score a goal.
To move the ball quickly in a different direction.
To make malicious, underhand remarks or attacks.
To attach a note or sticker to (an existing poster) to provide further information, political criticism, etc.

From Middle English snipe, snype , from Old Norse snípa, as in mýrisnípa. Akin to Norwegian snipe.
The verb originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a "sniper". The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word "sharpshooter".
Probably from snip or a cognate
Either from sneap or a figurative development from Etymology 1

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