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

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 161421

---  "nerdie55" <nerdie55 at ...> wrote:
>
> 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, ...
> 
> Squib sounds nice, but JKR didn't make the word up 
> herself, .... Funny how you meet things like that 
> occasionally.
> 
> nerdie55
>

bboyminn:

Actually, you can look in any dictionary and find the 
word 'Squib', and JKR has applied it very appropriately
in her books.

A Squib is a round of ammunition, ordnance, shell, or
firecracker that is a 'dud', that is, it is incapable 
of firing or exploding. So, in this sense, a magical 
Squib is a 'round' or 'firecracker' that didn't go off. 
They had the magical potential, but that potential was 
unrealized. In other words, they were a 'dud'.

This can also be applied to people in the real world.
If you want to indicate a person is a failure or
worthless, you would call them a 'dud' or a 'Squib'.

A squib is also one of a variety of devices for setting
off or igniting a firework, rocket, or other device; though
where I come from we would more likely call such a device 
a 'punk'.

A Squib is also a 'lampoon'; a short witty humorous
satirical bit of writing or speech. So, one could 
say that JKR is squibbing the squib. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/squib

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn