squib
Pronunciation: (skwib), [key]
— n., v., squibbed, squib•bing.
—n.
- a short and witty or sarcastic saying or writing.
- a short news story, often used as a filler.
- a small firework, consisting of a tube or ball filled with powder, that burns with a hissing noise terminated usually by a slight explosion.
- a firecracker broken in the middle so that it burns with a hissing noise but does not explode.
- a coward.
- an electric, pyrotechnic device for firing the igniter of a rocket engine, esp. a solid-propellant engine.
- a mean or paltry fellow.
—v.i.
- to write squibs.
- to shoot a squib.
- to explode with a small, sharp sound.
- to move swiftly and irregularly.
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- to be afraid.
- to flee; escape.
—v.t.
- to assail in squibs or lampoons.
- to toss, shoot, or utilize as a squib.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.