Definition

1. Noun:

   • A cue sport: "snooker" is a specific form of billiards played on a large table with a cue ball, 15 red balls (worth 1 point each), and 6 balls of other colors (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black) each with different point values. Players must alternately pot a red ball and a colored ball.

2. Verb:

   • To leave an opponent snookered: In the game of snooker, this means to strike the cue ball so that the opponent's next legal object ball is obstructed, leaving them unable to take a direct shot.
   • To trick or deceive: Figuratively, "to snooker" someone means to fool, dupe, or put them in a difficult position from which it is hard to escape.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He practices snooker for two hours every day to improve his game.
  • The snooker championship is being broadcast live on television.

• Verb (sporting sense):

  • With a brilliant safety shot, she snookered her opponent behind the brown ball.
  • If you snooker me here, I'll have no option but to attempt a very difficult escape shot.

• Verb (figurative sense):

  • The complicated contract clauses snookered us into paying extra fees.
  • I realized too late that I had been snookered by their false promises.

Advanced Usage

• "To be snookered": To be in a situation where one has no good options; to be stymied or trapped.
  • Without the necessary documents, we are completely snookered and cannot proceed with the application.

Variants and Related Words

• Snookered (adjective): The state of being left in a snooker (in the game) or being tricked/deceived.
  • After his poor shot, he was completely snookered behind the pink ball.
  • Feeling snookered by the deal, he sought legal advice.

Synonyms

• Noun (sport): Billiards, pool (though these are distinct games).
• Verb (trick): Dupe, hoodwink, bamboozle, outmaneuver, trap.

Related Phrases

• A frame of snooker: Refers to a single game or round of snooker.
  • He won the match by taking the final frame of snooker.
• A snooker hall: A venue dedicated to playing snooker and other cue sports.

Noun

1. a form of pool played with 15 red balls and six balls of other colors and a cue ball

Verb

1. leave one's opponent unable to take a direct shot
2. fool or dupe
   • He was snookered by the con-man's smooth talk