Ginnel

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A ginnel is a narrow, fenced or walled passage between houses that acts as a pedestrian shortcut to nearby streets. It’s common in suburban areas of northern England and parts of Scotland and doesn’t contain shops or businesses. Other similar terms include snicket, tenfoot and snickelway. In Sydney and Auckland, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, similar passages exist and are often called cut-throughs.

The word first appeared in 1613, with later references in dialect dictionaries. Its exact origin isn’t clear, but some link it to a word like channel and describe it as a long, narrow passage between buildings. In many works, ginnel and snicket are used interchangeably to mean a narrow entrance between houses, though some sources say a ginnel goes uphill and is paved with setts, while a snicket does not and is more vegetation.

According to Collins English Dictionary, a snicket is a passageway between walls or fences, and a ginnel is a narrow passageway between or through buildings.