Slang for nasopharyngeal swabs used to test people for COVID 19. So named because the Nurse or Doctor (usually Nurse) doing the test inserts a long handled swab into the subject's nose and into one of their sinus cavities. The sinuses produce snot, and COVID 19 lives in the sinuses.
As a healthcare worker, I have to go for COVID 19 testing every 2 weeks at work. It doesn't hurt that much if the Nurse doing the test uses a gentle touch (it's no more painful than having chlorinated pool water enter your nostrils). At my last COVID test, I joked with my Nurse friend inserting the swab, "Time for a snot swab"
by chrisssy226 November 20, 2020