squid n also squede OED ~ sb I (Nfld: 1613-), DAE (1851-), DC (Nfld: 1578-) for sense 1; cp NID giant squid for sense 2; for combs. in sense 4: OED 4 ~ hound (1812); ~ jig (1883), DAE (1861-); OED 4 ~ jigger (1875); ~ jigging (1881-), DC Nfld (1905-); DC ~ jigging ground Nfld (1936-); OED 4 ~ line (1867); ~ school (1884). For similar words with the sense 'squirt' see squib, squiddle, squit, squitter in OED and EDD.
1 A pelagic mollusc or cephalopod, esp the short-finned squid (Illex illecebrosus), which appears inshore during July and August and is taken for bait and human consumption; freq in place-names and proverbs. PI often squids.
[1578] 1935 Richard Hakluyt 130 [Parkhurst's letter] [There is] also a fish like a Smelt which cometh on shore, and another that hath the like propertie, called a Squid. [1620] 1887 MASON 152 Hering-Hoggs, Squides a rare kinde of fish, at his mouth squirting mattere forth like Inke... [1663] 1963 YONGE 60 After the capling [in June] come the squids, a fish like soaked leather. [1712] 1895 PROWSE 273 [They] catch fish with hook and line, first part of year their bait is muscles and lances; about middle of June bait is capeling, squid, and fresh herring. and end of year they fish with herring only—nets purposely for taking the sort of bait.
[1794] 1968 THOMAS 182 Its weight and length is about equal to a small Herring, its composition is a transparent jelly with a small substance in the middle. It is called a Squid. Its formation is very singular. Its Tail is
like the Fluke of an anchor~ from the head part extends Six fibrous and [glutinous] tubes ending in a point, the
inner part looking like a saw has the property of adhering to any pungent substance it toucheth. 1819 ANSPACH 407 The squid is also called ink-fish, from its singular faculty of throwing up, when disturbed, a black liquid which suddenly darkens the water, conceals him most effectually from sight, and thereby secures his retreat. [(1852) 1971 SEARY 286 Squib Point.] 1858 [LOWELL] i, 198 'Do'ee think, now, would n' the squids do better a little furderer up"' I says. 1884 DEMING 87 A squid-fishing fleet of boats, closely grouped, so as to keep the schools of lively octopi collected, is an animated sight. Each man tends three or four lines, and has all he can do when squid are around. 1895 Christmas Review 12 When you haul a squid in, look out for your chin. 1904 Daily News 18 July By 'Jabers' the Frenchman that would stand before me, /'Clane' out of his boots' goes the squid eatin' toad.' 1911 ROGERS 209 The central object in an allegorical picture which symbolized Newfoundland would be the cod-fish, and around it would be grouped its favourite bait the herring, the caplin ... and the squid. 1937 DEVINE 62 [proverb] The dirt of a squid can be washed off. but the dirt of a tongue sticks and stays. 1951 Nfld & Lab Pilot i, 334 Squid cove is entered between a point about 8½ cables south-eastward of Castor point, and a point about 7 cables south south-eastward. [1952] 1964 PEACOCK (ed) i, 144 "Skipper Tom": We had a whipping fine mainsail and a sporting fine jib, / A crooked-nosed punt and she sailed like a squid. 1955 ENGLISH 39 You can't tell the mind of a squid. [This proverb] refers to an unreliable person. A squid can move backwards or forward. 1940 SCAMMELL 37 "Squarin' Up": 0 the fish are all caught, and the squids are all jigged, / And the traps are cut up, and the schooner's unrigged. 1979 Evening Telegram 6 July, p. 2 There is a high probability that squid will be abundant in inshore Newfoundland waters [this summer]. Ibid 31 July, p. 20 [advertisement] Wanted to Buy: Dried Squid. 1979 TIZZARD 300 While waiting for the squids to strike some men slept, some yarned. while others just kept working their jiggers to try and tow [toll] the squids around.
2 The giant squid, calamary or devil-fish, up to forty feet in length (Architeuthis dux); usu with epithet big.
[1785] 1792 CARTWRIGHT iii, 44 It proved to be a large squid, which measured seven feet, exclusive of the head, which broke off in hoisting it in; when gutted, the body filled a pork barrel, and the whole of it would have filled a tierce. [1873] 1883 HATTON & HARVEY 240 It proved to be a gigantic cuttle-fish or calamary, and is called by the fishermen a 'big squid.' The two long arms or tentacles were found to measure each twenty-four feet, and to be three inches in circumference; the eight shorter arms were each six feet in length, and at the point of junction with the central mass, were ten inches in circumference.
3 In exclam squid-o: cry to fishermen that 'squid bait' have arrived in inshore waters and are rising to the jigger.
P 118-66 ~ A signal to let other fishermen know that the squid are taking the hook. M 68-24 When the first man shouts 'squid-o' every fisherman jumps to his feet and begins to jig. This continues until the squid slacks off. On a good night each man might jig four or five hundred squid.
4 Attrib, comb, cpd squid bait: see sense 1 above.
1919 Journ of Assembly 404 Trawling in August and September was short in its returns, owing to the fact that squid bait was late in putting in its appearance. [1953] 1978 Evening Telegram 1 Aug, p. 5 A boat ... was scheduled to leave Grand Bank last night for Rencontre West to load 20,000 pounds of squid bait for the Grand Bank depot. 1973 HORWOOD 9-10 It was too late in the year to expect fish to be caught in traps so the hook and line with squid bait were employed, and that year proved to be successful.
squid baiting: supply of bait squid secured by a schooner; BAITING n.
1960 FUDGE 19 After a few days rest, we left again to look for a baiting of squid. This secured, we anchored on the eastern part of the Grand Banks on August 10th, where we secured five hundred, and proceeded to Harbour Grace, went on dock and painted. From there we proceeded to Holy Rood, where we secured a squid baiting for the Labrador, and there made a trip worth while. 1976 CASHIN 65 Later in the season these vessels bought squid baiting, paying at that time a price of around twenty cents for every hundred squid.
squid barrel: type of wooden container used to pack dried squid for export.
T 90-64 We used to make 'em for squid—a squid barrel; that's [a] package about the size of the barrels we pack tom-cods in, you see; around twenty seven inches, with a sixteen-inch head. 1979 TIZZARD 81 He also made squid barrels; these were to contain two hundred pounds of dried squid.
squid finger, ~ hand: inflammation and swelling of hand caused by handling squid, cutting them for bait, etc; erysipeloid (P 148-66). Cp SEAL FINGER.
1979 Salt Water, Fresh Water 31 If you have any kind of an allergy to [squid juice] your hands become very sore and they bleed. The only relief to the excruciating pain of squid hands was your own urine and salt water.
squid ground: area of inshore waters with seasonal abundance of the short-finned squid; GROUND.
[c1945] TOBIN 12 "Home Again": And boys who caught trout, or went out to 'squid ground,'/ Will bring back account city chums to amaze. [1960] 1965 PEACOCK (ed) i, 123 "Fish and Brewis": With our fish put away we'll go on the squid ground, / And in a few minutes our jiggers are down.
squid hand: see squid finger.
squid hook: metal shank with a number of hooks used unbaited to jig squid for bait; cp squid jigger below.
1612 Willoughby Papers 16a/12 For our fishing voiage ... won dosen of squidhookes. [1622] 1954 INNIS 58 [inventory] Squid hooks and squid line 5s. 1765 WILLIAMS 19 Squede Hooks.
squid hound: name variously given to porpoise, small whale, or tuna which pursues squid in coastal waters.
[1794] 1968 THOMAS 183 Whenever Squids are found is also found a Fish called Jumpers, or Squid Hounds, from the avidity with which they pursue and eat Squids. 1908 DURGIN 35 ... chasing each other through the water and leaping clear, so their entire bodies could be seen, much as a salmon jumps. These were what our crew called 'squid hounds,' but I knew them for the great horse mackerel. 1937 DEVINE 67 When squidhounds and porpoises leap out of the water in large schools it is a sign of a gale of wind from the direction the porpoises go. P 243-57 ~ Pothead whale. 1966 FARIS 237 Squid Hound—(porpoise)—Phocaena phocaena. P 1-69 ~ bluefin tuna.
squid jig: see squid jigger.
1861 Harper's xxii, 459 The bait used is either softshell clams (salted and barreled) or squid. These last are caught by means of a 'squid-jig' —a piece of pewter run on a paper of hooked pins.
squid jigger: metal shank with twenty to forty tiny hooks used unbaited to catch short-finned squid; JIGGER.
1930 RANDELL 12 We dashed away after our squid jiggers. We dashed back to the beach, got a punt, rowed to the squid ground and went to work. M 68-7 ~ A small jigger weighing approximately one ounce, with many small hooks or prongs. There are about twenty prongs on it.
squid jigging: occupation of catching bait squid with a 'squid jigger'; JIGGING.
1883 Fish Exhibit Cat4 174 [caption to a drawing:] Squid Jigging. 1905 DUNCAN 105 Jack told me much of the lore of lobster-catching and squid-jigging. T 141/64-652 Well now they'd have to lose so much time squid jiggin', an' if the squids was uncertain there'd be lots o' times there'd be no bait to get, see.
squid-jigging ground: see squid ground above.
1940 SCAMMELL 9 "Squid Jiggin' Ground": They congregate here on the squid-jiggin' ground. 1964 Daily News 15 May, p. 4 Too young to get up at four in the morning but was taken out on the squid-jigging ground, and what an experience. T 54-64 An' he used to shout out to the boys on the squid jigging ground, 'were they any squids yet?' T 141/64-652 An' up in [the] bay that was the squid jiggin' ground. 1969 HORWOOD 178 I once took a canoe out the bay from Rushoon to the squid jiggin' ground, and paddled around the surprised trap boat fishermen, who were there in a group, waiting for the squid. 1979 TIZZARD 77 Best of all we would watch the boats on the squid jigging ground.
squid juice: inky secretion of short-finned squid.
1940 SCAMMELL 10 "Squid Jiggin' Ground": There's poor Uncle Billy his whiskers are spattered / With spots of the squid juice that's flyin' around. 1979 Salt Water, Fresh Water 31 He'd get squid juice on his hands, [his] hands become very sore and they bleed.
squid line: (a) strong, light line about four to fifteen fathoms long to which jigger is attached in fishing for bait squid; (b) length of line on which squid are hung to dry.
1612 Willoughby Papers l6a/24 3 bundels of small squidlynes. [1622] 1954 INNIS 58 [inventory] Squid hooks and squid line 5s. 1765 WILLIAMS 19 Squede Lines. 1940 SCAMMELL 9 "Squid Jiggin' Ground": All sizes of figures, with squid lines and jiggers, / They congregate here on the squid jiggin' ground. 1979 TIZZARD 295 My father and I jigged, cleaned and hung on the squid lines 330 squid.
squid pole: long, thin wooden pole between uprights on which the short-finned squid are hung to dry for export.
[c1945] TOBIN 37 "A Tale of Squid": Then if the morn, or eve, be fine / Squid-poles and fences all will shine. P 218-68 ~ A long slender pole formerly used in drying squid.
squid-sail v: to move backward, esp on all fours, like a squid in motion.
T 54-64 I had to crawl under the bed to get the candle. Now this is what they called squid-sailing. I had to come stern foremost to get out—that's how a squid goes, stern foremost. I squid-sailed from under the bed.
squid scull, ~ school: appearance in coastal waters of large concentrations of short-finned squid in early summer; SCULL.
1866 WILSON 209 The caplin scull ... is followed by the squid scull. The squid comes upon the coast in the beginning of August, and continues until the middle of September. 1902 Nfld Qtly Sep, p. 21 It was the time between mowing and squid-skull. 1914 Cadet 7 Learned modern writers say 'school' of fish—the caplin school. squid school, etc.
squid season: period of late summer when bait squid appear in coastal waters; SEASON.
[1964] 1979 Evening Telegram 3 July, p. 14 The squid season usually begins in Newfoundland the first part of August. M 68-24 [They] had what they called a squid season. Late in August and in the month of September most fishing crews spent the hours from about seven p.m. till eleven p.m. jigging squid.
squid shit: see squid juice (1971 NOSEWORTHY 248).
squid squall: see SQUID SQUALL.
squid stick: see squid pole.
M 68-24 I recall seeing a very large mummer carry two little ones on either end of a squid-stick.
squid trap: device to capture schooling squid.
[1930] 1980 Evening Telegram 4 Aug, p. 6 The squid trap which was causing so much trouble at Holyrood, was removed to Bay Roberts last week, caught only 150 squid on the first haul on Saturday. 1981 Evening Telegram 2 Sep, p. 2 Officials ... are meeting with Trinity Bay fishermen tonight to discuss an experiment to be set up to keep pothead whales away from the squid traps.
squid trip: voyage to the 'Banks' using squid as bait in trawl-fishing for cod.
1977 Nfld Qtly v Dec, p. 17 The banking schooner cod fishing year for most vessels operating from Grand
Bank was organized in three phases, each according to the main bait species used. viz. herring in the Spring.
caplin in the Summer, and squid in the Fall. The men spoke of the 'herring trip,' 'caplin trip,' and 'squid
trip,' though each bait phase might embrace several journeys between ports and fishing grounds before
actual completion. These three trips then composed the yearly 'voyage.'
