snaffle bit

A snaffle (q. v.). snăf-fle, v. t. [SNAFFLE, 8.] To bridle; to hold or manage with or as with a bridle. "Like horses snaffled with the bits Of fancie, feare, or doubts." Mirror for Magistrates , p. 395. *snaft, s . [Prob. connected with snuff , v.] The wick of a candle.