Squib

Unknown imitative of a small explosion.

Online Etymology Dictionary, Squib, accessed 2009-07-21.

Full definition of squib

(plural squibs)

(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.

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.

TatlerThe 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 2In this squib I will prove that the number of possible metrical parsings into feet under these assumptions â€¦

(archaic) An unimportant, paltry, or mean-spirited person.
(slang) A sketched concept or visual solution, usually very quick and not too detailed. A word most commonly used within the Graphic Design industry.

In the Harry Potter series, author uses squib to mean a child of someone magical who doesnâ€™t have magical powers.

To make a sound such as a small explosion.A Snider-Enfield 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