squib: Meaning and Definition of

squib

Pronunciation: (skwib), [key]
— n., v., squibbed, squib•bing.
—n.
  1. a short and witty or sarcastic saying or writing.
  2. 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. a coward.
  6. an electric, pyrotechnic device for firing the igniter of a rocket engine, esp. a solid-propellant engine.
  7. a mean or paltry fellow.
—v.i.
  1. to write squibs.
  2. to shoot a squib.
  3. to explode with a small, sharp sound.
  4. to move swiftly and irregularly.
    1. to be afraid.
    2. to flee; escape.
—v.t.
  1. to assail in squibs or lampoons.
  2. to toss, shoot, or utilize as a squib.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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