Squib (skw&ibreve_;b), n. [OE. squippen, swippen, to move swiftly, Icel. svipa to swoop, flash, dart, whip; akin to AS. swipian to whip, and E. swift, a. See Swift, a.] 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.
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Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze. Waller.
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The making and selling of fireworks, and squibs . . . is punishable. Blackstone.
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2. (Mining) A kind of slow match or safety fuse.
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3. A sarcastic speech or publication; a petty lampoon; a brief, witty essay.
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Who copied his squibs, and reëchoed his jokes. Goldsmith.
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4. A writer of lampoons. [Obs.]
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The squibs are those who in the common phrase of the world are called libelers, lampooners, and pamphleteers. Tatler.
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5. A paltry fellow. [Obs.] Spenser.
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