c.1525, "short bit of sarcastic writing, witty scoff," of unknown origin. If the meaning "small firework that burns with a hissing noise" (attested from 1530) is the original one, the word may be imitative.
n. a notice; a small advertisement. : There was a squib in the paper about your project.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Yet as a vote-winner, too, it has turned into a damp squib.
Firing of only one squib was referred to as a first-stage air bag deployment.
Its only nuclear explosion was thought a damp squib.
The fire turned out not to be serious and rated only a squib in a few gossip columns.
In practice, such cross-selling and cross-promotion has turned out to be something of a damp squib.
Then a squib kick to open the second half backfired.
Squib firing lines shall be disconnected, shunted, and grounded before personnel can enter the burn area.
But the big bang may yet turn out to be a damp squib.
Perhaps the bride and groom's turn was the damp squib where none was needed.
In the event, however, the protest was a damp squib.