1601: snipe and sniper May 3, 2019

"Going on a snipe hunt" is another way of saying "fool's errand", or indeed "wild goose chase", and in North America is used as a way to describe a useless task. However, while their speed, size, and irregular flight paths have made them notoriously hard to catch, the snipe also gave rise to the word 'sniper', as people needed to use camouflage and high-precision rifles to get these birds.

Support Word Facts on Patreon.com/wordfacts and see more about names for birds here.