Snicklefritz

Snicklefritz or Schnickelfritz is a Pennsylvania Dutch term of affection usually for young mischievous or talkative children.^[1]

Considering similar German terms, many larger bilingual German–English dictionaries include the word Schnickschnack, which is defined as chit-chat or tittle-tattle and nonsense. The Wahrig Deutsches Wörterbuch (Wahrig German Dictionary)^[2][3] indicates this noun is a doubling of Schnack which also means chit-chat and drivel. An informal verb, schnicken, means to jerk or seize, implying fast or choppy movements. Whether the aforementioned terms relate entirely to snicklefritz is not known, but would appear to be closely related in referring to a chatty or impulsive person. Moreover, the word (or nickname) “Fritz” is German slang for the names Friedrich or Frederick.

Kitty refers to Eric Foreman as "Snicklefritz" in That 70s Show episode "The Keg." In the movie Pineapple Express, James Franco portrays a drug dealer named Saul Silver who refers to the sub-par weed he sells to his least favorite customers as "the snicklefritz". "Schnickelfritz" is also the name of a racing mouse in Billy Wilder's film Stalag 17. Another example is The Schnickelfritz Band, led by Freddie Fisher, a comedy musical group, featured in the 1938 film, Gold Diggers in Paris. Snicklefritz is also a character on the children's television program, The Big Comfy Couch, in the first episode of season 2 of "The Brak Show", Brak's mom greets Brak with "Good Morning, snicklefritz".

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