(US) Any small firecracker sold to the general public. Usually available in special clusters designed to explode in series after a single master fuze is lit.
(automotive) The heating element used to set off the sodium azide pellets in a vehicle's airbag.
(special effects) A small explosive used to replicate a bullet hitting a surface.
(dated) A short piece of witty writing; a lampoon.
(dated) A writer of lampoons.
(law) In a legal casebook, a short summary of a legal action placed between more extensively quoted cases.
(academia) A short article, often published in journals, that introduces theoretically problematic empirical data or discusses an overlooked theoretical problem. In contrast to a typical article, a squib need not answer the questions that it poses.
