SNATCH

(TAKE QUICKLY) [verb] - to take hold of (something) suddenly and roughlyHe snatched the photos out of my hand before I had a chance to look at them. [T]Small children are often told not to snatch because it is rude. [I]The six-year-old girl was snatched (= taken away by force) from a playground and her body found two days later. [T]She had her purse snatched (= stolen) while she was in town. [T]Running the best race of his career, Fletcher snatched (= only just won) the gold medal from the Canadian champion. [T]To snatch an amount of time is to use it quickly for what you want to do.I managed to snatch a minute for a quick sandwich at the station.To snatch something that is to your advantage is to take it quickly.Perhaps you'll be able to snatch a couple of hours' sleep before dinner.If you snatch at something, you attempt to take hold of it or take advantage of it quickly before it is too late.Try not to snatch at the ball.A man snatched at my bag, but he didn't get it.I was desperate to find a way out of teaching so when this job came along I snatched at it.To snatch victory (from the jaws of defeat) is to win a surprising victory at the last moment possible, when it had previously seemed certain that you were going to lose.In the last ten minutes of the game, Germany scored two goals, snatching victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat.