
squad | squad: n. unit, team, band, company, crew, force, troop, cadre, gang, section, group, squadron, platoon, party: They decided to call in the drugs squad. Has the work squad returned to base yet?
square | square: adj. 1 equilateral, quadrangular, rectangular, right-angled, quadrilateral, four-sided, cubic, cubed, six-sided, boxy: She bought a work of art consisting of three square pieces of red plastic on a mauve ground. He keeps trying to put square pegs into round holes. 2 equal, on a par, even, on equal terms, settled, balanced: With this payment, our accounts are now all square. 3 even, true, exact, straight, accurate, precise, correct: Make sure that the corners are perfectly square. 4 honourable, upright, honest, straightforward, fair (and square), decent, ethical, open, (open and) above-board, right, (right and) proper, clean, just, equitable, Colloq on the level, on the up and up: I have never had anything but square dealings with Fred Latham. 5 healthful, healthy, nutritious, substantial, solid, full, generous, satisfying, filling, unstinting: You could always count on three square meals a day when staying at Auntie Maisie''s. 6 na�ve, innocent; bourgeois, conservative, conventional, unsophisticated, provincial, old-fashioned, conformist, strait-laced, unimaginative, predictable, Colloq antediluvian, uptight, out of it, not with it, not in the know, not hip or hep, unhip, stuffy, behind the times, straight, US L-7: We were at the age when anyone over 25 was considered square. --n. 7 rectilinear figure, rectangle; cube, block: He took a square of wood and quickly carved it into the shape of a duck. 8 plaza, piazza, place, park, (village) green, market-place, market (square), agora, quadrangle: We like to sit on the benches in the square outside my house and chat with the neighbours. 9 bourgeois, conservative, conformist, traditionalist, (old) fogy or fogey, die-hard; outsider; Colloq stuffed shirt, fuddy-duddy, US longhair, L-7, Slang US nerd, dweeb: My parents did not understand me - they were real old squares. --v. 10 stiffen, throw back, straighten (up), tense: I squared my shoulders and prepared for the worst. 11 Usually, square with. meet, match (with), conform to or with, obey, correspond to or with, tally with, accord with, agree with, reconcile with or to: These activities do not square with the plans set out by the directors. 12 adapt, adjust, change, modify, harmonize, accommodate, arrange, comply with, fit: Ronald was unable to square his beliefs with what they were teaching him at the seminary. 13 settle, arrange, come to terms, patch up, clear up, satisfy, fix: Don''t worry about the customs officials - I''ll square it with them later on.
squawk | squawk: v. 1 cackle, screech, shriek, yell, yowl, whoop, hoot, scream, call, cry: The parrot kept squawking ''Where is the treasure? Where is the treasure?'' 2 complain, grumble, whine, grouse, protest, object, (make a) fuss, yap, yowl, Slang bellyache, bitch, kick, beef, gripe, kick up a fuss: Oh, stop squawking and get on with your work! --n. 3 complaint, grouse, grumble, protest, Colloq kick, beef, gripe: If you have a squawk, take it up with the sergeant.
squeamish | squeamish: adj. 1 dainty, delicate, prudish, punctilious, demanding, critical, exacting, difficult, fussy, scrupulous, fastidious, meticulous, painstaking, finicky or finical, Colloq persnickety or pernickety, fuddy-duddy: The museum directors were too squeamish to put on an exhibition of nudes. 2 nauseous, qualmish, easily disgusted or revolted or nauseated: Sam was too squeamish to watch open-heart surgery on the TV.
squeeze | squeeze: v. 1 press, compress, compact, crush, squash, wring, pinch, nip, grip, tweak: Each morning Anne squeezes an orange to make fresh juice for Edgar. Everyone knows that squeezing the nose between the thumb and forefinger means that something smells. 2 extract, wrest, exact, extort, milk, wrench, pry (out), tear, Colloq bleed: It is doubtful that they will be able to squeeze a contribution out of old Scrooge. 3 milk, Colloq shake down, bleed, lean on, put the screws to, put the squeeze on, twist (someone''s) arm, US put the arm on: You''ll have to squeeze Fletcher if you want to get paid. 4 ram, jam, pack, stuff, cram, crowd, force, press, wedge: We were squeezed into the train so tightly that I could hardly breathe. 5 clasp, clench, embrace, hug, hold, enfold, fold, clutch, Archaic clip: She squeezed him close as they bade goodbye. 6 squeeze through or by. get through or by, pass, (barely) succeed, Colloq squeak through or by, (barely) make it: He managed to squeeze through the exam with a pass mark, but it was touch-and-go. --n. 7 clasp, embrace, hug, clutch, Colloq clinch: She gave me a little squeeze to signal her affection. 8 pressure: I was beginning to feel the squeeze between inflation and high interest rates. 9 crush, jam, crowd, squash, press: There was such a squeeze of people at the sale that I couldn''t get in. 10 girlfriend, mistress, sweetheart, Colloq sweetie, Slang moll, broad, Archaic doxy: Willie showed up with his current squeeze. 11 put the squeeze on. press, bring pressure to bear on, urge, influence, Brit pressurize, US pressure: The bank was beginning to put the squeeze on me to repay my overdraft.
squelch | squelch: v. 1 suppress, subdue, put down, quell, quash, defeat, overcome, outdo, humiliate, Colloq shoot or slap down, take down a peg (or two), take the wind out of (someone''s) sails, settle (someone''s) hash: The slightest sign of disapproval from No�l was enough to squelch the most arrogant toady. --n. 2 riposte, retort, comeback, quip, sally, gibe or jibe, barb, Colloq wisecrack, put-down: One of the best squelches was when Oscar Wilde said, referring to a bon mot, ''I wish I''d said that'', to which Whistler said, ''You will, Oscar. You will.''
squire | squire: v. 1 escort, accompany, conduct, go with, take; convoy: Who will squire my sisters to the prince''s ball? --n. 2 esquire, gentleman, landowner, landholder, landed proprietor: The old squire held his head high among the county aristocracy.
squirm | squirm: v. wriggle, writhe, twist, flounder, shift, fidget, be (very) uncomfortable, agonize, Colloq sweat: The boy squirmed under the stern gaze of the headmaster.
