Snicket
In Leeds and much of Yorkshire, a snicket is a narrow path or alleyway between buildings, walls or fences, often used as a shortcut. Many Leeds people use snicket and ginnel almost interchangeably, though some will tell you a snicket is open to the sky and a ginnel runs under a building, or the other way round.
In practice
Leeds is full of them: footpaths between rows of back-to-back terraces in Headingley and Burley, cut-throughs between suburban streets, and the yards and passages off Briggate in the city centre. Several of the city's oldest pubs, such as Whitelock's, are reached through the narrow yards that run off Briggate, which grew out of medieval building plots. Each English region has its own word for the same thing, and disagreements over which is right are a favourite northern pastime.
Why it matters to newcomers
"Take the snicket" is a direction you will be given walking between residential streets. Some snickets are poorly lit, so use main roads late at night. The yards off Briggate are worth exploring in daylight for their pubs and history.
Related
- Victoria Quarter - the grand covered version of a city-centre passage
- The Calls - another district of old lanes and yards
- Loiner - who will tell you the right word
Source: Wiktionary: snicket.