squib

  1. Noun.  (military) A small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode.
  2. Noun.  A similar device used to ignite an explosive or launch a rocket, etc.
  3. Noun.  (US) Any small firecracker sold to the general public. Usually available in special clusters designed to explode in series after a single master fuze is lit.
  4. Noun.  (automotive) The heating element used to set off the sodium azide pellets in a vehicle's airbag.
  5. Noun.  (context, cinema or theater special effects) A small explosive used to replicate a bullet hitting a surface.
  6. Noun.  (dated) A short piece of witty writing; a lampoon.
  7. Noun.  (legal) In a legal casebook, a short summary of a legal action placed between more fully cited cases.
  8. Noun.  (linguistics) A short article, often published in journals, that introduces empirical data problematic to linguistic theory or discusses an overlooked theoretical problem. In contrast to a typical linguistic article, a squib need not answer the questions that it poses.
  9. Noun.  (archaic) An unimportant, paltry, or mean-spirited person.
  10. Verb.  To make a sound such as a small explosion.

This is an unmodified, but possibly outdated, definition from Wiktionary and used here under the Creative Commons license. Wiktionary is a great resource. If you like it too, please donate to Wikimedia.

This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.