Usage of the word Squib in the mid-18th century by Oliver Goldsmith

[nerdie55]

No: HPFGUIDX 161402

Some time ago I read the book "The Vicar of Wakefield" by Oliver
Goldsmith and to my surprise he calls someone a squib, just like in
the Harry Potter books. In his case, according to Johnson's
dictionary, it refers to a "petty (little, insignificant) man, as you
can see in the photo - collections sections where I put scans of the
page and the notes referring to it.

Squib sounds nice, but JKR didn't make the word up herself, the
meaning of course is hers, but not the actual word. Funny how you meet
things like that occasionally.

nerdie55