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Punt vs Squib - What's the difference?

punt | squib |

As nouns the difference between punt and squib

is that punt is a pontoon; a narrow shallow boat propelled by a pole while squib is a small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode.

As verbs the difference between punt and squib

is that punt is to propel a punt or similar craft by means of a pole while squib is to make a sound such as a small explosion.

punt

English

Etymology 1

(etyl), probably from (etyl)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (nautical) A pontoon; a narrow shallow boat propelled by a pole.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • (nautical) To propel a punt or similar craft by means of a pole.

    • Etymology 2

    Possibly a dialectal variant of (bunt); Rugby is the origin of the sports usage of the term.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (rugby, American football, Australian Rules football, Gaelic football, soccer) to kick a ball dropped from the hands before it hits the ground. This puts the ball farther from the goal across which the opposing team is attempting to score, so improves the chances of the team punting.
  • * As a colloquialism, 'So I punted' means the speaker chose the best alternative among a menu of non-ideal choices.
  • (soccer) To kick a bouncing ball far and high.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=September 2 , author= , title=Wales 2-1 Montenegro , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=With five minutes remaining Hennessey was down well to block another Vukcevic shot, while Gunter was smartly in to punt away the dangerous loose ball.}}
  • To retreat from one's objective.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=ca. 2002 , author=Ben Collins-Sussman, Brian W. Fitzpatrick and C. Michael Pilato , title=Version Control with Subversion , chapter=Basic Work Cycle citation , passage=Punting : Using svn revert¶ If you decide that you want to throw out your changes and start your edits again (whether this occurs after a conflict or anytime), just revert your changes}}
    Derived terms
    * drop punt * punt returner * punter * torpedo punt

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (rugby, American football, soccer) A kick made by a player who drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. Contrast drop kick.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) ponte or (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A point in the game of faro.
  • The act of playing at basset, baccara, faro, etc.
  • A bet or wager.
  • An indentation in the base of a wine bottle.
  • (glassblowing) A thin glass rod which is temporarily attached to a larger piece in order to better manipulate the larger piece.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • (British, chiefly, Ireland) To stake against the bank, to back a horse, to gamble or take a chance more generally
  • * Thackeray
    • She heard of his punting at gaming tables.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=2004 , author=John Buglear , title=Quantitative methods for business: the A-Z of QM , chapter=Is it worth the risk? – introducing probability citation , isbn=9780750658980 , page=339 , passage=Whether you want to gamble on a horse race, bet on which player will score first in a game of football, have a punt on a particular tennis player winning a grand slam event, you are buying a chance, a chance which is measured in terms of probability, ‘the odds’.}}
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2006 , date=June 23 , author=Dan Roebuck , title=Eriksson's men still worth a punt , work=The Guardian citation , passage=Eriksson's men still worth a punt }}
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2009 , date=November 3 , author=Sarah Collerton , title=Cup punt not child's play , work=ABC News citation , passage=Australians have a reputation for being keen to bet on two flies climbing up a wall and today young ones often take a casual classroom punt }}
  • (figuratively) To make a highly speculative investment or other commitment, or take a wild guess.

    • Related terms

    * punter

    Etymology 4

    From (etyl) punt, from (etyl) pund.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The Irish pound, used as the unit of currency of Ireland until it was replaced by the euro in 2002.
    • ----

    squib

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (military) A small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode.
    • English Navy squibs set fire to two dozen enemy ships in a Dutch harbor during the 16th century battle against the Spanish Armada.
  • * Blackstone
    • The making and selling of fireworks and squibs is punishable.
  • A similar device used to ignite an explosive or launch a rocket, etc.
  • (mining) A kind of slow match or safety fuse.
  • (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.
  • (cinema or theater special effects) A small explosive used to replicate a bullet hitting a surface.
  • (dated) A short piece of witty writing; a lampoon.
  • * Goldsmith
    • who copied his squibs , and re-echoed his jokes.
  • (dated) A writer of lampoons.
  • * Tatler
    • The squibs are those who in the common phrase of the world are called libellers, lampooners, and pamphleteers.
  • (legal) 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.
  • * 2008 , William J. Idsardi, Combinatorics for Metrical Feet , in Biolinguistics Vol 2, No 2
    • In this squib I will prove that the number of possible metrical parsings into feet under these assumptions […]
  • (archaic) An unimportant, paltry, or mean-spirited person.
  • * Spenser, Mother Hubberds Tale ll. 369-371:
    • Its a hard case when men of good deserving / must either driven be perforce to sterving / or asked for their pas by everie squib
  • (slang) A sketched concept or visual solution, usually very quick and not too detailed. A word most commonly used within the Graphic Design industry.

    • Derived terms

    * damp squib

    Usage notes

    In the uses squib to mean a child of someone magical who doesn’t have magical powers.

    Verb

    (squibb)
  • To make a sound such as a small explosion.
    • A squibbed in the jungle.
  • (colloquial, dated) To throw squibs; to utter sarcastic or severe reflections; to contend in petty dispute.
    • to squib a little debate

    References