Squeteague Sque·teague" (skwe*tēg") noun [ from the North American Indian name.] (Zoology) An American sciænoid fish ( Cynoscion regalis ), abundant on the Atlantic coast of the United States, and much valued as a food fish. It is of a bright silvery color, with iridescent reflections. Called also weakfish , squitee , chickwit , and sea trout . The spotted squeteague ( C. nebulosus ) of the Southern United States is a similar fish, but the back and upper fins are spotted with black. It is called also spotted weakfish , and, locally, sea trout , and sea salmon .

Squib Squib (skwĭb) noun [ Middle English squippen , swippen , to move swiftly, Icelandic svipa to swoop, flash, dart, whip; akin to Anglo-Saxon swipian to whip, and English swift , adjective See Swift , adjective ] 1. A little pipe, or hollow cylinder of paper, filled with powder or combustible matter, to be thrown into the air while burning, so as to burst there with a crack.

Lampoons, like squibs , may make a present blaze.

Waller.

The making and selling of fireworks, and squibs . . . is punishable.

Blackstone. 2. (Mining) A kind of slow match or safety fuse. 3. A sarcastic speech or publication; a petty lampoon; a brief, witty essay.

Who copied his squibs , and reëchoed his jokes.

Goldsmith. 4. A writer of lampoons. [ Obsolete]

The squibs are those who in the common phrase of the world are called libelers, lampooners, and pamphleteers.

Tatler. 5. A paltry fellow. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Squib Squib intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Squibbed ; present participle & verbal noun Squibbing .] To throw squibs; to utter sarcastic or severe reflections; to contend in petty dispute; as, to squib a little debate. [ Colloq.]

Squid Squid (skwĭd) noun [ Confer Squirt .] 1. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of ten-armed cephalopods having a long, tapered body, and a caudal fin on each side; especially, any species of Loligo , Ommastrephes , and related genera. See Calamary , Decacerata , Dibranchiata . » Some of these squids are very abundant on the Atlantic coast of North America, and are used in large quantities for bait, especially in the cod fishery. The most abundant of the American squids are the northern squid ( Ommastrephes illecebrosus ), ranging from Southern New England to Newfoundland, and the southern squid ( Loligo Pealii ), ranging from Virginia to Massachusetts. 2. A fishhook with a piece of bright lead, bone, or other substance, fastened on its shank to imitate a squid. Flying squid , Giant squid . (Zoology) See under Flying , and Giant . -- Squid hound (Zoology) , the striped bass.

Squier Squier noun A square. See 1st Squire . [ Obsolete]

Not the worst of the three but jumps twelve foot and a half by the squier .

Shak.

Squierie, Squiery Squi"er·ie, Squi"er·y noun [ Old French escuiere . See Esquire .] A company of squires; the whole body of squires. » This word is found in Tyrwhitt's Chaucer, but is not in the modern editions.

Squiffy Squif"fy adjective Somewhat intoxicated; tipsy. [ Slang] Kipling.

Squiggle Squig"gle intransitive verb [ Confer Prov. English swiggle to drink greedily, to shake liquor in a close vessel, and English sqig .] To shake and wash a fluid about in the mouth with the lips closed. [ Prov. Eng.] Forby.

Squiggle Squig"gle intransitive verb [ Confer Squirm , Wiggle .] To move about like an eel; to squirm. [ Low, U.S.] Bartlett.

Squilgee Squil"gee noun Formerly, a small swab for drying a vessel's deck; now, a kind of scraper having a blade or edge of rubber or of leather, -- used for removing superfluous, water or other liquids, as from a vessel's deck after washing, from window panes, photographer's plates, etc. [ Written also squillgee , squillagee , squeegee. ]

Squilgee Squil"gee transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Squilgeed ; present participle & verbal noun Squilgeeing .] To swab, press, or treat with a squilgee; as, to squilgee a vessel's deck.

Squill Squill noun [ French squille (also scille a squill, in sense 1), Latin squilla , scilla , Greek ....] 1. (Botany) (a) A European bulbous liliaceous plant ( Urginea, formerly Scilla, maritima ), of acrid, expectorant, diuretic, and emetic properties used in medicine. Called also sea onion . (b) Any bulbous plant of the genus Scilla ; as, the bluebell squill ( S. mutans ). 2. (Zoology) (a) A squilla. (b) A mantis.

Squilla Squil"la noun ; plural English Squillas , Latin Squillæ . [ Latin , a sea onion, also, a prawn or shrimp. See Squill .] (Zoology) Any one of numerous stomapod crustaceans of the genus Squilla and allied genera. They make burrows in mud or beneath stones on the seashore. Called also mantis shrimp . See Illust. under Stomapoda .

Squillitic Squill·it"ic adjective Of or pertaining to squills. [ R.] " Squillitic vinegar." Holland.

Squinance, Squinancy Squin"ance, Squin"an·cy noun [ French esquinancie , Old French squinance , esquinance . See Quinsy .] 1. (Medicine) The quinsy. See Quinsy . [ Obsolete] 2. (Botany) A European perennial herb ( Asperula cynanchica ) with narrowly linear whorled leaves; -- formerly thought to cure the quinsy. Also called quincewort . Squinancy berries , black currants; -- so called because used to cure the quinsy. Dr. Prior.

Squinch Squinch noun [ Corrupted from sconce .] (Architecture) A small arch thrown across the corner of a square room to support a superimposed mass, as where an octagonal spire or drum rests upon a square tower; -- called also sconce , and sconcheon .

Squinsy Squin"sy noun (Medicine) See Quinsy . [ Obsolete]

Squint Squint adjective [ Confer Dutch schuinte a slope, schuin , schuinisch , sloping, oblique, schuins slopingly. Confer Askant , Askance , Asquint .] 1. Looking obliquely. Specifically (Medicine) , not having the optic axes coincident; -- said of the eyes. See Squint , noun , 2. 2. Fig.: Looking askance. " Squint suspicion." Milton.

Squint Squint intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Squinted ; present participle & verbal noun Squinting .] 1. To see or look obliquely, asquint, or awry, or with a furtive glance.

Some can squint when they will.

Bacon. 2. (Medicine) To have the axes of the eyes not coincident; -- to be cross-eyed. 3. To deviate from a true line; to run obliquely.

Squint Squint transitive verb 1. To turn to an oblique position; to direct obliquely; as, to squint an eye. 2. To cause to look with noncoincident optic axes.

He . . . squints the eye, and makes the harelid.

Shak.

Squint Squint noun 1. The act or habit of squinting. 2. (Medicine) A want of coincidence of the axes of the eyes; strabismus. 3. (Architecture) Same as Hagioscope .

Squint Squint intransitive verb To have an indirect bearing, reference, or implication; to have an allusion to, or inclination towards, something.

Yet if the following sentence means anything, it is a squinting toward hypnotism.

The Forum.

Squint-eye Squint"-eye` noun An eye that squints. Spenser.

Squint-eyed Squint"-eyed` adjective 1. Having eyes that quint; having eyes with axes not coincident; cross-eyed. 2. Looking obliquely, or asquint; malignant; as, squint-eyed praise; squint-eyed jealousy.

Squinter Squint"er noun One who squints.

Squintifego Squint`i·fe"go adjective Squinting. [ Obsolete & R.]

Squinting Squint"ing adjective & noun from Squint , v. -- Squint"ing*ly , adverb

Squiny Squin"y intransitive verb To squint. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Squinzey Squin"zey noun (Medicine) See Quinsy . [ Obsolete]

Squir Squir (skwẽr) transitive verb To throw with a jerk; to throw edge foremost. [ Obsolete] [ Written also squirr .] Addison.

Squiralty Squir"al·ty noun Same as Squirarchy .

That such weight and influence be put thereby into the hands of the squiralty of my kingdom.

Sterne.

Squirarch Squir"arch noun [ Squire + - arch .] One who belongs to the squirarchy. -- Squir"arch*al adjective

Squirarchy Squir"arch·y noun [ Squire + -archy .] The gentlemen, or gentry, of a country, collectively. [ Written also squirearchy .]

Squire Squire noun [ Old French esquierre , French équerre . See Square , noun ] A square; a measure; a rule. [ Obsolete] "With golden squire ." Spenser.

Squire Squire noun [ Aphetic form of esquire .] 1. A shield-bearer or armor- bearer who attended a knight. 2. A title of dignity next in degree below knight , and above gentleman . See Esquire . [ Eng.] "His privy knights and squires ." Chaucer. 3. A male attendant on a great personage; also (Colloq.), a devoted attendant or follower of a lady; a beau. 4. A title of office and courtesy. See under Esquire .

Squire Squire transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle squired ; present participle & verbal noun squiring .] 1. To attend as a squire. Chaucer. 2. To attend as a beau, or gallant, for aid and protection; as, to squire a lady. [ Colloq.] Goldsmith.

Squireen Squir·een" noun One who is half squire and half farmer; -- used humorously. [ Eng.] C. Kingsley.

Squirehood Squire"hood noun The rank or state of a squire; squireship. Swift.

squireling squire"ling noun A petty squire. Tennyson.

Squirely Squire"ly adjective & adverb Becoming a squire; like a squire.

squireship squire"ship noun Squirehood.

Squirm Squirm intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Squirmed ; present participle & verbal noun Squirming .] [ Confer Swarm to climb a tree.] To twist about briskly with contor...ions like an eel or a worm; to wriggle; to writhe.

Squirr Squirr transitive verb See Squir .

Squirrel Squir"rel (skwẽr"rẽl or skwĭr"-; 277) noun [ Middle English squirel , Old French esquirel , escurel , French écureuil , Late Latin squirelus , squirolus , scuriolus , dim. of Latin sciurus , Greek si`oyros ; skia` shade + o'yra` tail. Confer Shine , intransitive verb ] 1. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Sciurus and several allied genera of the family Sciuridæ . Squirrels generally have a bushy tail, large erect ears, and strong hind legs. They are commonly arboreal in their habits, but many species live in burrows. » Among the common North American squirrels are the gray squirrel ( Scirius Carolinensis ) and its black variety; the fox, or cat, sqirrel ( S. cinereus , or S. niger ) which is a large species, and variable in color, the southern variety being frequently black, while the northern and western varieties are usually gray or rusty brown; the red squirrel (see Chickaree ); the striped, or chipping, squirrel (see Chipmunk ); and the California gray squirrel ( S. fossor ). Several other species inhabit Mexico and Central America. The common European species ( Sciurus vulgaris ) has a long tuft of hair on each ear. the so- called Australian squirrels are marsupials. See Petaurist , and Phalanger . 2. One of the small rollers of a carding machine which work with the large cylinder. Barking squirrel (Zoology) , the prairie dog. -- Federation squirrel (Zoology) , the striped gopher. See Gopher , 2. -- Flying squirrel (Zoology) . See Flying squirrel , in the Vocabulary. -- Java squirrel (Zoology) . See Jelerang . -- Squirrel corn (Botany) , a North American herb ( Dicantra Canadensis ) bearing little yellow tubers. -- Squirrel cup (Botany) , the blossom of the Hepatica triloba , a low perennial herb with cup-shaped flowers varying from purplish blue to pink or even white. It is one of the earliest flowers of spring. -- Squirrel fish (Zoology) (a) A sea bass ( Serranus fascicularis ) of the Southern United States . (b) The sailor's choice ( Diplodus rhomboides ) . (c) The redmouth, or grunt . (d) A market fish of Bermuda ( Holocentrum Ascensione ). -- Squirrel grass (Botany) , a pestiferous grass ( Hordeum murinum ) related to barley. In California the stiffly awned spiklets work into the wool of sheep, and into the throat, flesh, and eyes of animals, sometimes even producing death. -- Squirrel hake (Zoology) , a common American hake ( Phycis tenuis ); -- called also white hake . -- Squirrel hawk (Zoology) , any rough-legged hawk; especially, the California species Archibuteo ferrugineus . -- Squirrel monkey . (Zoology) (a) Any one of several species of small, soft-haired South American monkeys of the genus Calithrix . They are noted for their graceful form and agility. See Teetee . (b) A marmoset. -- Squirrel petaurus (Zoology) , a flying phalanger of Australia. See Phalanger , Petaurist , and Flying phalanger under Flying . -- Squirrel shrew (Zoology) , any one of several species of East Indian and Asiatic insectivores of the genus Tupaia . They are allied to the shrews, but have a bushy tail, like that of a squirrel. -- Squirrel-tail grass (Botany) , a grass ( Hordeum jubatum ) found in salt marshes and along the Great Lakes, having a dense spike beset with long awns.

Squirt Squirt transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Squirted ; present participle & verbal noun Squirting .] [ Confer LG. swirtjen to squirt, OSw. sqvätta , English squander .] To drive or eject in a stream out of a narrow pipe or orifice; as, to squirt water.

The hard-featured miscreant coolly rolled his tobacco in his cheek, and squirted the juice into the fire grate.

Sir W. Scott. Squirting cucumber . (Botany) See Ecballium .

Squirt Squirt intransitive verb 1. To be thrown out, or ejected, in a rapid stream, from a narrow orifice; - - said of liquids. 2. Hence, to throw out or utter words rapidly; to prate. [ Low] L'Estrange.

Squirt Squirt noun 1. An instrument out of which a liquid is ejected in a small stream with force. Young. 2. A small, quick stream; a jet. Bacon.

Squirt Squirt noun (Hydrodynamics) The whole system of flow in the vicinity of a source.

Squirter Squirt"er noun One who, or that which, squirts.

Squiry Squir"y noun [ See Squiery .] The body of squires, collectively considered; squirarchy. [ Obsolete]

The flower of chivalry and squiry .

Ld. Berbers.