squib

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

The making and selling of fireworks, and squibs . . . is punishable. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mining) A kind of slow match or safety fuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A sarcastic speech or publication; a petty lampoon; a brief, witty essay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who copied his squibs, and reechoed his jokes. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A writer of lampoons. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The squibs are those who in the common phrase of the world are called libelers, lampooners, and pamphleteers. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A paltry fellow. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]