--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I bet Mrs Snapperly had no teeth and…" description: "\"“I bet Mrs Snapperly had no teeth and talked to herself, right?” said Miss Tick. “Yes. And she had a cat. And a squint,” said Tiffany. And then it all ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/terry-pratchett-19_next-day_i-bet-mrs-snapperly-had-no-teeth-and-tal_1029193.jpg" --- # I bet Mrs Snapperly had no teeth and talked to herself… ![“I bet Mrs Snapperly had no teeth and talked to herself, right?” said Miss Tick. “Yes. And she had a cat. And a squint,” said Tiffany. And then it all came out in a rush: “And so after he vanished, they went to her cottage and they looked in the oven and they dug up her garden and they threw stones…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/terry-pratchett-19_next-day_i-bet-mrs-snapperly-had-no-teeth-and-tal_1029193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/terry-pratchett-19_next-day_i-bet-mrs-snapperly-had-no-teeth-and-tal_1029193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/terry-pratchett-19_next-day_i-bet-mrs-snapperly-had-no-teeth-and-tal_1029193.jpg) > ““I bet Mrs Snapperly had no teeth and talked to herself, right?” said Miss Tick. “Yes. And she had a cat. And a squint,” said Tiffany. And then it all came out in a rush: “And so after he vanished, they went to her cottage and they looked in the oven and they dug up her garden and they threw stones at her old cat until it died and they turned her out of her cottage and piled u pall her old books in the middle of the room and set fire to them and burned the place to the ground and everyone said she was an old witch.” “They burned the books,” said Miss Tick in a flat voice. “Because they said they had old writing in them,” said Tiffany. “And pictures of stars.” “And when you went to look, did they?” said Miss Tick. Tiffany suddenly felt cold. “How did you know?” she said. “I’m good at listening. Well, did they?” Tiffany sighed. “Yes, I went to the cottage next day, and some of the pages, you know, had kind of floated up in the heat? And I found a part of one, and it had all old lettering and gold and blue edging. And I buried her cat.” “You buried the cat?” “Yes! Someone had to!”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A chaotic narrative reveals how fear and superstition can drive violent actions against perceived outsiders. **In simple terms:** Fear leads to irrational cruelty. Key Takeaway Question the roots of fear and mob mentality. Themes fear superstition violence othering Mood critical reflective Type narrative cautionary When to use this quote - historical witch hunts - modern online shaming - community conflicts - school bullying Key Concepts social dynamics mythmaking group psychology Questions to Reflect On - What underlying anxieties fuel such aggression? - How can societies protect vulnerable individuals? A Different Perspective Stories can oversimplify complex causes of violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buried Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried-cat-2340067/) [Miss Tick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miss-tick-1650104/) [Next day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-day/) [Old books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-books/) [Old Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-witch-693154/) [Tiffany Sighed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiffany-sighed-2340068/) [Witch Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch-burned-2340066/) ## Related quotes > [In Shakespeare's day it was women who were being burned at the stake as witches... not men. The men were thought of as alchemists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/in-shakespeare-s-day-it-was-women-who-were-being-burned-at-the-stake/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [You’d better tell me what you know, toad,” said Tiffany. “Miss Tick isn’t here. I am.” “Another world is colliding with this one,” said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-better-tell-me-what-you-know-toad-said-tiffany-miss-tick-isn-t/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Anyone with half a mind could see that," said Tiffany. Miss Tick sighed. "Yes. But sometimes it's so hard to find half a mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/anyone-with-half-a-mind-could-see-that-said-tiffany-miss-tick-sighed/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“And people think she killed him?" said Miss Tick. She sighed. "They probably think she cooked him in the oven, or something." "They never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/and-people-think-she-killed-him-said-miss-tick-she-sighed-they/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I can see we're going to get along like a house on fire," said Miss Tick. "There may be no survivors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-can-see-we-re-going-to-get-along-like-a-house-on-fire-said-miss/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Witches are naturally nosy,” said Miss Tick, standing up. “Well, I must go. I hope we shall meet again. I will give you some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/witches-are-naturally-nosy-said-miss-tick-standing-up-well-i-must-go/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Miss Tick sniffed. ‘You could say this advice is priceless,’ she said. ‘Are you listening?’ ‘Yes,’ said Tiffany. ‘Good. Now … if you trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/miss-tick-sniffed-you-could-say-this-advice-is-priceless-she-said-are/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Don't wish , Miss Tick had said. 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When Janet takes down the mean old witch, we can come back and dance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-james/gabrielle-turned-to-the-others-you-heard-her-out-when-janet-takes/) [Allyson James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-james/) > [“And in the cave there lived a wicked old witch. Did she ever come out? Not yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/and-in-the-cave-there-lived-a-wicked-old-witch-did-she-ever-come-out/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“And there the wicked old witch stayed for a good long time... And did she ever come out? ... Not yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/and-there-the-wicked-old-witch-stayed-for-a-good-long-time-and-did/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [Nature is a wary wily long-breathed old Witch, tough-lived as a Turtle and divisible as the Polyp, repullulative in a thousand Snips and Cuttings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/nature-is-a-wary-wily-long-breathed-old-witch-tough-lived-as-a-turtle/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Even as late as the summer of 2006, as home prices began to fall, it took a certain kind of person to see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/even-as-late-as-the-summer-of-2006-as-home-prices-began-to-fall-it/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. 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And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 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I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Next day quotes > [“Scheduling should be done several times each day, beginning the night before and continuing at additional times the next day. 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