51Թ

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View synonyms for

squib

[skwib]

noun

  1. a short and witty or sarcastic saying or writing.

  2. Journalism.a short news story, often used as a filler.

  3. a small firework, consisting of a tube or ball filled with powder, that burns with a hissing noise terminated usually by a slight explosion.

  4. a firecracker broken in the middle so that it burns with a hissing noise but does not explode.

  5. Australian.a coward.

  6. an electric, pyrotechnic device for firing the igniter of a rocket engine, especially a solid-propellant engine.

  7. Obsolete.a mean or paltry fellow.



verb (used without object)

squibbed, squibbing 
  1. to write squibs.

  2. to shoot a squib.

  3. to explode with a small, sharp sound.

  4. to move swiftly and irregularly.

  5. Australian.

    1. to be afraid.

    2. to flee; escape.

verb (used with object)

squibbed, squibbing 
  1. to assail in squibs or lampoons.

  2. to toss, shoot, or utilize as a squib.

squib

/ ɪ /

noun

  1. a firework, usually having a tube filled with gunpowder, that burns with a hissing noise and culminates in a small explosion

  2. a firework that does not explode because of a fault; dud

  3. a short witty attack; lampoon

  4. an electric device for firing a rocket engine

  5. obsoletean insignificant person

  6. slanga coward

  7. something intended but failing to impress

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to sound, move, or explode like a squib

  2. (intr) to let off or shoot a squib

  3. to write a squib against (someone)

  4. (intr) to move in a quick irregular fashion

  5. slang(intr) to behave in a cowardly fashion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • squibbish adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of squib1

First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of squib1

C16: probably imitative of a quick light explosion
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"After so much hype, the SDR is a damp squib," he said.

From

Kicking under the new format feels more like “shanking” a kickoff than doing a squib kick, as Dicker put it.

From

Plaid Cymru previously called the report a "damp squib".

From

But as the nerves grew and the visitors became bolder, what should have been Villa's big night turned into a damp squib.

From

But earlier this month, MPs on the Treasury Committee branded these measures - dubbed the Edinburgh Reforms - "a damp squib".

From

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