snipe hunt

Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia.

snipe hunt

1. An elaborate practical joke in which an unsuspecting person takes part in a bogus hunt for a snipe, typically being left alone in the dark with instructions not to move until the snipe appears.

2. A futile search or endeavor.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

snipe hunt - an elaborate practical joke in which the unsuspecting victim hunts a snipe and is typically left in the dark holding a bag and waiting for the snipe to run into it; "in the South a snipe hunt is practically a rite of passage"

practical joke - a prank or trick played on a person (especially one intended to make the victim appear foolish)

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

One of my favorite things to do come winter (if you want to call it that) is snipe hunt. With their agile and erratic flight pattern when spooked, these hand-sized birds offer a challenge to any marksman.

Hit the Sand

Thus, the infamous snipe hunt. Mikita and Stapleton informed Magnuson that the Blackhawks would embark on a team snipe hunt one evening.

Stan Mikita, soul of the Blackhawks Verdi: Remembering the soul of the Blackhawks

So we headed to Killingly Town Hall, the first stop on a snipe hunt. A snipe hunt is a prank where people are sent on an imaginary quest they think is real.

Randomly seeking an earthquake

If you think this sounds like a snipe hunt, you might be right.

The deck is stacked in favor of two major parties

The episode 14 is titled "Madeline Pratt." According to NBC's brief synopsis of the upcoming episode, "a femme fatale from Red's past sets the FBI on a snipe hunt, requiring Liz to use hidden talents."