[General] not to be sneezed at/ not to be sniffed at

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentences?

“United Metal and Mill is nothing to sneeze at. “
“Going to be the toughest fight yet. “ Shewchuk said. (Carter’s “Fatherless Sons”)

After all, $200 wasn’t to be sniffed at. It seemed a measly sum when you ‘d been hoping for $4000, but considered against a week;y salary of five pounds, it was a decent sum. (Lindsay “The Subtle Knot”)

not to be sneezed at = not to be sniffed at = not to be neglected at

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V

 

[riquecohen]

They generally mean "not to be looked down on," "not to be rejected" or "not to be viewed contemptuously." They are informal expressions used to refer to something that is worth having.