squib

A small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode.

(US) Any small firecracker sold to the general public, usually in special clusters designed to explode in series after a single master fuse is lit.

In special effects, a small explosive used to replicate a bullet hitting a surface or a gunshot wound on an actor.

(old-fashioned) A short piece of witty writing; a lampoon.

A similar device used to ignite an explosive or launch a rocket, etc.

A kind of slow match or safety fuse.

The heating element used to set off the sodium azide pellets in a vehicle's airbag.

In a legal casebook, a short summary of a legal action placed between more extensively quoted cases.

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.

(Australia) A coward or wimp.

A malfunction in which the fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel, and thus becomes stuck.

A sketched concept or visual solution, usually very quick and not too detailed.

An unimportant, paltry, or mean-spirited person.

(old-fashioned) A writer of lampoons.

To make a sound like a small explosion.

(Australia) To dodge something difficult, to bottle.

(informal, old-fashioned) To throw squibs; to utter sarcastic or severe reflections; to contend in petty dispute.