▪ I. squat, n.1
(skwɒt)
Also 4 squate, 5, 7 squatte, 7 squatt, sqat, squot, 9 dial. swat.
[f. squat v. Cf. quat n.2]
1. a. A heavy fall or bump; a severe or violent jar or jolt. Now north. dial.
| c 1350 Ipomedon (Kölbing) 4352 Yche myghte se, where he laye. I trowe, here leman had a squate [rime that]. 1513 Douglas æneid x. vii. 108 [He] tumlyt from hys hie cart chargit quhar he sat, And on the grund reboundis wyth a squat. 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde H h iij, Thone by a fal from her horse, the other by a violent thrust and squat on the buttocks vpon the hard stones. Ibid., By the force of the fall and squat, the matrice vaynes brake. a 1633 G. Herbert Wks. (1859) II. 298 Bruises and squats and falls which often kill others can bring little grief or hurt to those that are temperate. 1675 J. S[mith] Horolog. Dial. 24 It might be some accidental injury in the conveiance from one place to another, as sometimes happens by jogs or Squats which loosen either pins, wedges or screws. 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 46 But ambling round an ugly post, A squat poor Bobby made. 1847– in N. Cy. and Cumbld. glossaries (in form swat). |
b. A bruise, contusion, or wound, esp. one caused by a fall; a dent or indentation. Now dial.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens 238 The same herbe..is good to be layde on with wool upon squats or bruses. a 1691 Aubrey Wilts. (Royal Soc. MS. p. 127) (Halliw.), In our Western language squat is a bruise. 1697 R. Pierce Bath Mem. i. ix. 186 His Illness first came after a Sqat upon his Hand; to which fell a Humour, and made it a Running Sore. 1775 Ash, Squat,..a bruise, a hurt by falling; but this is a local sense. 1868– in dial. glossaries (Glouc., Som., Wilts., Berks.). |
† c. A heavy shower. Obs.—1
| c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon (1810) 121 Haldon-Hill.., whereof the borderers..had this adage: When Haldon hath a hat, Let Kentowne beware a squat. |
† 2. A company of daubers. Obs.—0
Only in lists of ‘proper terms’.
| c 1450 Porkington MS. 10 in Philol. Trans. (1909) 54 A squat of davberis. 1486 Bk. St. Albans f vj b. |
† 3. at (the or a) squat, in a squatting or crouching attitude, esp. that assumed by a hare when sitting. Obs.
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 421 One runneth so fast you will neuer catch hir, the other is so at the squat, you can neuer finde hir. 1622 Breton Strange Newes Wks. (Grosart) II 6/1 Hunting they vse little, but to finde a Hare at squat. 1670 J. Smith Eng. Improv. Reviv'd 191 You may chance to see..on the ground a brace or two of Hares at squot. 1693 Dryden, etc. Juvenal x. (1697) 261 An old Grandam Ape, when, with a Grace, She sits at squat, and scrubs her leathern Face. |
| fig. 1623 Wotton Lett. (1907) II. 280 The Rhetian business and the League depending thereon, which made so full a cry is, methinks, at a squat. 1732 Pope Ep. Cobham 56 And ev'ry child hates Shylock, tho' his soul Still sits at squat, and peeps not from its hole. |
4. The act of squatting, crouching, or sitting down close to the ground, spec. on the part of a hare.
| 1584 in Cl. Robinson Handful Pleas. Delights (Arb.) 29 To see..Her [i.e. the hare's] trips and skips,..With squats and flats, which hath no pere. 1601 Deacon & Walker Spirits & D. 208 You are like to the hunted Hare which scuddeth hither and thether, and standeth in feare at euerie squat. 1615 Markham Country Contentm. i. i, The Huntsman cunning to undoe intricate doubles, Skips, Squats and windings. 1806 Bloomfield Wild Flowers 43 Grace by the tumbril made a squat. 1838 Holloway Prov. Dict. s.v., A hare is said to Squat or go to Squat when she lies up in the chase. 1872 C. King Sierra Nevada x. 214, I noticed one mule after another give a little squat. |
† 5. a. to take squat, to seek safety by squatting or hiding. Obs.
| 1580–3 Greene Mamillia Wks. (Grosart) II. 63 The Foxe seeing his marrow almost kild with the dogges, is a foole, if he take not squat. 1592 ― Philomela Wks. (Grosart) XI. 138 Though the Hare take squat she is not lost at the first defaute. |
† b. The place where an animal squats or crouches down in order to escape observation; spec. the form or lair of a hare. Also fig. Obs.
| 1590 Cokaine Treat. Hunt. B iv b, The Huntsman should blowe a call, that all that be in the field may repayre to him, and beate for the squat of the Hare. 1601 Deacon & Walker Answ. Darel 163 You are to too afraid to tarrie ouer long in a squatte: the following crie of the Hounds is so hotte in your eares. 1624 Quarles Job Militant xiii, Their deepe-mouth'd Art..ne'r could start..That Game, from squat, they terme, Felicity. 1673 Hickeringill Greg. F. Greyb. 8 Thou hadst better have sat For ever on thy squatt. |
6. a. A squatting attitude or posture. spec. in Gymnastics and Weight-lifting (earlier called crouch).
| 1886 Bicycling News 24 Sept. 767/2 The cross-legged ‘squat’ is as natural an attitude to the sovereign as to the meanest beggar. 1954 M. Fallon Muscle Building for Beginners x. 56 Keep the head up and the back flat, and resist any temptation to lean forward, particularly at the lowest point of the squat. 1959 Loken & Willoughby Compl. Bk. Gymnastics iv. 35 Squat Head Balance. Start this stunt from a squat position with the hands on the mat and the inside of the knees resting on the elbows. 1964 G. C. Kunzle Parallel Bars ii. 42 Simple squats on one bar. Ibid. 44 Complete the squat off by pushing away strongly with the arms and drawing the shoulders forwards. 1977 J. F. Fixx Compl. Bk. Running vii. 91 Some runners and coaches think weightlifting is essential to good performances. Emil Zatopek..used to do squats while holding his wife, Dana, on his shoulders. |
b. hot squat: see hot a. 1 e.
7. The fact of settling down in the water.
| 1905 Sci. Amer. 7 Jan. 7/1 To the loaded draft there should be added about four feet for ‘squat’, when running at full speed. |
8. a. The illegal occupation of an uninhabited building (esp. by a group of homeless people organized for this purpose); the period of such an occupation.
| 1946 Daily Mail 20 Sept. 2/3 The Great Squat is over... Today at 1200 hours the rearguards of Squat-Force will retire. 1963 S. Cooper in Sissons & French Age of Austerity 44 Early in September 1946 Londoners were startled by what was christened the Great Sunday Squat. 1969 Guardian 27 Sept. 9/2 The Diggers have decided not to take part in any more hippie squats. 1970 N. Saunders Alternative London xvii. 122 They then organised the squatters in East London, which has developed into the longest squat ever, lasting over ten months, in Arbour Square. 1975 Times 8 Jan. 3/6 This is the biggest squat ever, a serious attempt to house homeless people. 1981 Daily Tel. 3 Mar. 2/1 This squat cost the ratepayer {pstlg}46,700—money we need not have spent had the squat not taken place. |
b. A house, flat, or building occupied by squatters; a squatter's place of residence.
| 1975 Guardian 26 Sept. 5/8 He's at 14 Algernon Road. It's a squat. 1977 M. Drabble Ice Age ii. 211 They'd been hosed out of their last squat. 1980 Daily Tel. 28 Oct. 17/3 A whipround among punks from a squat near the police station raised {pstlg}12.50. |
Add: 9. Special Comb. squat thrust, a physical exercise in which the legs are thrust backwards to their full extent from a squat position; also, = *burpee n.
| 1950 K. F. Wells Kinesiology xxiii. 415 The *squat-thrust, both with and without the dip is commonly included among conditioning exercises. 1988 Physiques Internat. Nov. 55/1, I still hold World Records in two events, the arm dips which I managed 100 reps in one minute, and the squat thrusts which still stands at 118 reps in the same time. |
▪ II. squat, n.2 Cornwall.
[Perh. the same word as prec.]
(See quots.)
| 1671 Phil. Trans. VI. 2098 Squatts are certain distinct places in the earth, not running in veins, differing from Bonnys..in this only that Squatts are flat, Bonnys are roundish. 1778 Pryce Min. Cornub. 81 This kind of Fissure..is wrongly called by the Tinners, a Floor or a Squat, which properly speaking is a hole or chasm impregnated with Metal, that makes no continued line of direction, or regular walls. 1860 Eng. & For. Mining Gloss. (ed. 2) 6 Bunch, or Squat of ore, a quantity of ore of small extent; more than a stone, and not so much as a course. |
▪ III. squat, n.3 U.S.
[Of doubtful origin.]
The angel-fish, Squatina angelus.
| 1884 Goode Nat. Hist. Aquat. Anim. 675. |
▪ IV. squat, n.4 U.S. slang.
(skwɒt)
[Prob. f. slang to squat to void excrement.]
Nothing at all; (following a negative construction) anything. Orig. as second element of phr. doodly-squat [prob. f. U.S. slang doodle excrement].
| 1934 Z. N. Hurston Jonah's Gourd Vine xviii. 217 She ain't never had nothin'—not eben doodly-squat, and when she gits uh chance tuh git holt uh sumpin de ole buzzard is gone on uh rampage. 1946 Mezzrow & Wolfe Really Blues viii. 107 These cats weren't from doodlely-squat. Ibid. 373 Doodlely-squat, nothing, no more than the product of a child who squats to do his duty. 1967 Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang Suppl. 705/2 Squat,..= zot. Ibid. 712/2 Zot,.. a grade or a score of zero. 1975 G. V. Higgins City on Hill i. 18 A lot of people that didn't care squat about the war went with us on that point. 1977 Rolling Stone 30 June 82/1 Under no circumstances would I ask those..judges down in Oswego to give him back his shingle on the condition it doesn't mean doodly-squat. 1979 P. Benchley Island ii. 26 It'll be another forecast-of-Armageddon cover that won't amount to squat. |
▪ V. squat, pa. pple. and (ppl.) a.
(skwɒt)
Also 5 sqwat(e, 7, 9 dial., squot, 9 dial. swat.
[Pa. pple. of squat v. Cf. quat a.]
I. 1. In predicative use: Seated in a squatting or crouching posture; sitting close to the ground. a. Of a hare or other animal.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiv, If it happe..þat ony hunter fynde her sqwat,..he shall blowe a moot and rechate and stirt her. Ibid., If it happe þat she be sqwate to fore hem. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 1315 So how,..the hare is squat! 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Fly xxiv. 26 Neuer was there yet any larke or wat, Before hawke or dog, flatter darde or squat Then by this answere. 1602 Rowlands Greenes Ghost 43 The tumbler, who lies squat in the brakes till the Conie be come forth out of her burrow. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. vi. 647 A Toad, squat on a Border, spies The Gardner passing by. 1795 Wolcot (P. Pindar) Royal Tour Wks. 1816 III. 49 Squat on his speckled haunches gapes the Toad, And frogs affrighted hop along the road. 1897 Christian Herald (N.Y.) 4 Aug. 592/1 Does not the panther, squat in the grass, know a calf when he sees it? |
b. Of persons.
In some contexts approaching to an advb. use.
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 73 Then to vs squat grooueling in this wise the oracle aunswerd. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 800 Him there they found Squat like a Toad, close at the eare of Eve. 1675 Hobbes Odyssey (1677) 268 Ulysses, to be sure that none remain Alive, and under seats or tables squat, Searcht well the hall. 1730 Fielding Tom Thumb ii. x, While the two stools her sitting-part confound, Between 'em both [to] fall squat upon the ground. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. xxxix, Where I found her sitting squat on her hams on the floor. 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunt. xxxi. 235 The earless trapper was sitting upon the prairie, squat on his hams. 1878 P. Bayne Purit. Rev. v. 168 Satan, squat at his ear in the form of a sycophant priest, had told him [etc.]. |
| Comb. 1897 Gunter Susan Turnbull ii. 18 The..Eastern potentate, who sits squat-legged indulging in his nargileh. |
c. Of things. rare.
| 1757 Mrs. Montagu's Lett. IV. 160 She has made them lie squat with some ivory thimbles. 1853 G. Johnston Nat. Hist. E. Bord. I. 76 The shrub lies squat to the ground. |
2. dial. Hidden from observation; quiet, still.
| 1841– in various dial. glossaries and texts (N. Cy., Yks., Lancs., Notts., E. Anglia, etc.). 1956 G. E. Evans Ask Fellows who cut Hay xxv. 228 Another feature of the dialect is the expressive vigour of many of the words and phrases:..squat (pronounced with a very broad a) hidden or quiet. 1962 M. Procter Devil in Moonlight xv. 155 We'll keep it squat and take a chance on having trouble later. |
II. † 3. Contused, crushed. Obs.—1
| 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme ii. xliii. 280 This ointment..is singular good in the curing of..brused or squat nailes, wounds old and new [etc.]. |
4. Short and thick; disproportionately broad or wide; podgy; thick-set: a. Of persons, animals, or their limbs, etc. squat lobster, a crab-like marine animal belonging to the family Galatheidæ.
| 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 12 The Tartar is a stubbed squat fellow, hard bred, and such are their horses. 1678 Lond. Gaz. No. 1308/4 A broad squot white beagle Bitch. 1717 Prior Alma i. 16 The Mind,..Throughout the Body squat or tall Is, bonâ fide, All in All. 1740 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 61 She is a broad, squat, pursy, fat thing, quite ugly. 1779 Mirror No. 2, A short squat man, with a carbuncled face. 1826 Scott Woodst. i, A squat broad Little John sort of figure. 1849 H. Miller Footpr. Creat iii. (1874) 34 Squat, robust, strongly-built fishes. 1879 D. M. Wallace Australasia v. 86 The nose..becomes broader and somewhat squat further down. 1902 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 10) XXXII. 111/1 Amongst other crustacea, the squat lobster (Themis orientalis) is..obtained by trawling in the southern waters. 1928 Russell & Yonge Seas iii. 67 There are also squat-lobsters, which have long claws and broad, flattened bodies. 1978 Sci. Amer. Dec. 99/2 The galatheids (the squat-lobsters, a group intermediate between the macrurans and the true crabs) have reflecting superposition eyes with square facets. |
b. In general use.
| 1684 Lond. Gaz. No. 1933/4 She is square before, with a square squat Stem. 1714 Mandeville Fab. Bees (1733) I. 333 Little squat bibles clasp'd in brass. 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. Explan. Terms 389 Sessiles, squat, having no Foot⁓stalk. 1861 Sat. Rev. 21 Sept. 305 The [printing] type..is somewhat squat and angular. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. vi, One of those squat, high-shouldered, short-necked glass bottles. 1885 J. Runciman Skippers & Sh. 103 Wilfrid joined a squat brig that crossed the Bay. 1891 E. Gosse Gossip in Library i. 10 A squat volume published two centuries ago. |
c. Of buildings or parts of these.
| 1687 Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, A squat (or well compacted) House. a 1771 Gray Wks. (1843) V. 329 The capitals..are all in general too squat and too gross for the pillars which they are meant to adorn. 1828 Duppa Trav. Italy, etc. 122 The arches are circular, and the columns squat. 1861 A. Beresford-Hope Eng. Cathedr. 19th C. vi. 224 The nave..looks absolutely squat, owing to the lowness of the arcade. 1889 John Bull 2 Mar. 147/2 It must either be very low and squat in proportion, or it must be of such a scale in elevation as to rival the Abbey. |
5. Characterized by squatness of form or structure.
| 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. IV. 39 From its [sc. the marmot's] squat muscular make, it has great strength joined to great agility. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France II. 82 [The palace] presents ideas rather of squat solidity, than of princely magnificence. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. I. 133 The roof..gives a very squat aspect to the temple. 1879 Green Readings fr. Eng. Hist. xxi. 108 Their buildings..retained their primitive squat, low and meagre proportions. |
6. Comb., as squat-bodied, squat-built, squat-hatted.
| 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4137/4 A dapple brown bay squat Bodied Mare. 1873 Greenwood In Strange Company 202 A sinister-looking, squat-built old gentleman. 1902 ‘Linesman’ Words Eyewitness 220 A string of cattle..driven by dark, squat-hatted figures on horseback. |
▪ VI. squat, v.
(skwɒt)
Forms: 4–5 sqwat, 5 sqwate, 5–6 squatte, 6 sqwatte, 7 squatt, 9 squot, 5– squat.
[ad. OF. esquatir, esquater, f. es- ex- + quatir quat v.1 Cf. the early combs. out-squat out- 15 and to-squat v.]
I. 1. trans. To crush, flatten, or beat out of shape; to smash or squash; to bruise severely. Now dial.
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter cix. 6 Sqwat sal he heuedes, blode and bane, In þe land of mani-ane. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 68 Þis stoon shal falle on siche men, and squatte hem al to poudir. 1382 ― 2 Sam. xxii. 8 The foundementis of hillis ben togidir smyten and squat. 1570 Redford Marriage Wit & Sci. 216 In twenty gobbetes I showld have squatted them. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 86 The same..is good for such as are squatte and brused with falling from above. 1674 Ray Coll. Words 77 To Squat, to bruise or make flat by letting fall... Suss. a 1722 Lisle Husb. (1757) 189 Iron-clayted shoes do not well to thresh wheat in, especially if it be new corn; for such shoes squat and bruise it much. Ibid. 282 It often happens, that such a cow's knees fall against the side or flank of the cow with calf, and so squat the calf. 1825– in many dial. glossaries and texts. |
b. To dash down heavily or with some force; also, † to knock (gently). Now dial.
| a 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 142 But whon þe Roode ros and doun was squat, Þe nayles renten him hondes and feete. 1519 W. Horman Vulg. 178 b, If it be gluishe..and squatted on the grounde scatereth nat: it is a token of a fatte grounde. 1538 Elyot, Allido, to squatte or throw any thing agaynst the grounde or walles. 1599 T. M[oufet] Silkwormes 59 Now squatting them vppon the floore or ground, Now squashing out their bellies soft and round. 1609 Butler Fem. Mon. x. K vj, The Bees being dead, squat the hiue softly against the ground. 1828– in Yks. glossaries. |
† c. To knock out by smashing. Obs.—1
| 1553 Respublica (Brandl) v. vii. 28 Woulde ye have om sqwatte owt ous braine? |
† d. To drive, force, or thrust violently or abruptly. Obs.
| 1655 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ii. 554 He saw the King like to recover, and he squatted his disease..to his heart by the wet cloth. 1686 F. Spence tr. Varilla's Ho. Medici 110 The Cardinal-Nephew's continual Riots had squatted him in his Coffin at twenty-eight years old. |
† 2. fig. To suppress; to repress. Obs. rare.
| 1577 Stanyhurst Descr. Ireland iii. 11 b/1 in Holinshed, Saying that although lawes were squatted in warre, yet notwithstanding they ought to be reuiued in peace. 1582 ― æneis i. (Arb.) 24 His grief deepe squatting, hoap he yeelds with phisnomye cheereful. |
† 3. intr. To fall or dash with some force or violence. Obs. rare.
| 1587 A. Day Daphnis & Chloe (1890) 141 The yoong youth..shooke the raskall off, and that so rudelie, as his pampered drunken carcas squatted against the ground. c 1590 in Hazl. E.P.P. IV. 218 Thou shalte be handled for the nonce, That all thy braynes on the ground shall squat. |
II. 4. refl. To seat (oneself) upon the hams or haunches; to take one's seat in a crouching attitude or posture.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiv, And if it happe..þat she sqwat not her a forne þe houndes. 1737 Gray Lett. in Poems (1775) 24 At the foot of one of these squats me I. 1775 F. Burney Early Diary 6 Dec., The Prince at last squatted himself on the corner of a form. 1836 W. Irving Astoria II. 29 An old man..squatted himself near the door. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xxiii, He followed the cat, and off she went and squatted herself under the hedge. |
| fig. 1603 Florio Montaigne i. xxiii. (1632) 59 And seeking to squat himselfe [Fr. se desrober], hee the more enflamed and called them upon him. |
b. Similarly with down. (Cf. 6 b.)
| a 1535 More Wks. 1359/2 When thou hadest ietted thy fil, squat the down fair & wel in a chaire. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. 1050 Yet will they squatte them downe in their filthinesse. 1641 Smectymnuus Answ. Humb. Rem. (1653) Post. 88 The Archbishop of York, striving to sit above Canterbury, squatts him down on his lap. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. (1815) 172 Curtseying so low, that I thought she intended to squat herself down on the floor. 1772–84 Cook's Voy. (1790) IV. 1389 At the conclusion of each combat, the victor squatted himself down before the chief. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life iv. viii, Two friends, perfect strangers to you, squatting themselves down at your right and left hand. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xviii, She set down her basket, [and] squatted herself down. |
c. With quasi-reflexive object. Also, to let (the tail) droop or fall.
| 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. I. xxii. 262 As soon as he saw me, he squatted his Belly to the Ground,..and crawled slowly towards me. 1739 R. Bull tr. Dedekindus' Grobianus 102 When Eloquence your Wrath has overcome, Then offer in a Chair to squat your Bum. 1801 T. S. Surr Splendid Misery I. 172 Foul imps of ignominy will squat their loathsome forms on my unbruised bones. 1825 Mirror V. 30/1 A mad dog..generally goes..in a straight line..and never squats his tail. |
5. intr. Of hares: To sit close to the ground in a crouching attitude; to crouch or cower down, esp. in order to avoid observation or capture.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) i, And somtyme [the hare runs] a litell while and thenn abydith and squattith, and that done they ofte. 1576 Turberv. Venerie lix. 163 If she come to the side of any yong spring or groue, she will..squat vnder the side thereof. Ibid. lxi. 172 Yet they will squatte vpon the outsides of the wayes or very neare to them. 1605 Tryall Chev. iii. ii. in Bullen Old Pl. (1884) III, If they were hares as they are men, I should think them squatted. 1660 W. Secker Nonsuch Prof. 56 The fearful Hare squats at every noyse. 1711 Budgell Spect. No. 116 ¶7 The Hare now, after having squatted two or three Times, and been put up again as often [etc.]. 1731 Fielding Grub St. Op. i. iv, Poor puss's cunning, and shifting, and shunning!.. First this way, then that; First a stretch, and then squat. 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. II. 196 The coy hare squats nestling in the corn. 1838 [see squat n.1 4]. |
| fig. 1653 A. Wilson Jas. I, 248 Two great Favourites though of different Kingdoms could not well squat in one form. 1676 Hobbes Iliad 333 So coursed Hector was, Nor suffer'd was to double or to squat. |
b. Of other animals, birds, etc.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) ii, Þen he [the hart] maketh a ruse..and þere he stalleth or squatteth. 1599 T. M[oufet] Silkwormes 36 Did euer thing do Cupid so much ill As once a Bee which on his hand did squat? 1601 Holland Pliny I. 262 He [sc. the ram-fish] squatteth close under the shade of bigge ships. 1611 Cotgr., Blotir, to squat, skowke, or ly close to the ground, like a daring Larke. 1665 Hooke Microgr. 184 It [sc. a fly] presently squats down, as it were, that it may be the more ready for its rise. 1826 Hood Irish Schoolm. vi, Also he schools some tame familiar fowls, Whereof, above his head, some two or three Sit darkly squatting. 1865 Livingstone Zambesi xv. 306 Then the Crocodiles squat on them till they are drowned. 1895 J. G. Millais Breath fr. Veldt (1899) 92 If then suddenly approached with a pointer, they become confused and squat well. |
6. Of persons: To sit down with the legs closely drawn up beneath the hams or in front of the body; esp. to sit on the ground in this way or in a crouching attitude. Also jocularly, to sit (down).
Freq. const. with preps., esp. on or upon (the ground, hams, etc.).
| 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 43 Then squatteth the master, or trudgeth away, and after dog runneth as fast as he may. 1784 Russell Hist. Mod. Europe (1818) V. 186 Canadians and Indians..squatted below bushes, or skulked behind trees. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 37 Men and women squat round this mat, which is covered with dishes. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life x. vi, Squatting plump on an unsuspected cat in your chair. 1865 Livingstone Zambesi viii. 174 The operator squatting, places his great toes on each end to keep all steady. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 437 With groups of camels..tended all night long by some swarthy Arab squatting on his haunches. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. iii. xiv, I crawled under cover of the nearest live-oak, and squatted there. |
| transf. 1895 Zangwill Master i. viii. 93 The rock that squatted on guard at the mouth of the harbour. 1906 Sir F. Treves Highways Dorset viii. 115 A commonplace town squatting soberly in the meadows. |
b. With down. (Cf. 4 b.)
| 1609 Dekker Gull's Horn Bk. Wks. (Grosart) II. 207 Teach them both how to squat downe to their meat, and how to munch..like Loobies. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 33 They squat down upon their heels, like Taylors, about the Soffta. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 128 She squats down upon a chair. 1812 Combe Syntax, Picturesque iii, Down on the grass the Doctor squatted. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xiv, The lazy Indians..squatting down upon their hams. 1901 D. B. Hall & Ld. A. Osborne Sunshine & Surf vi. 60 We would all squat down cross-legged, which is the correct way to sit at a native meal. |
| fig. 1760 Foote Minor ii, Your gettings should be added to his estate, and my cousin Margery and I squat down together in the comfortable state of matrimony. |
c. In pa. pple. used predicatively.
| 1577 Grange Golden Aphroditis L iij b, Thus squatted vpon this pleasaunt mount from mornyng to euenyng they spende their tyme. 1798 O'Keeffe Wild Oats v. iv, Leaving me, a chubby little fellow, squatted on a carpet. 1816 Tuckey Narr. Exped. R. Zaire iv. (1818) 137 The assembly was composed of about fifty persons squatted in the sand. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle L. i. 15 The guests being seated, or rather squatted, on the divan. 1886 C. Scott Sheep-farming 82 Catch the ewe gently with the crook; lay her on her left side, yourself being squatted at her back. |
† d. To crouch or lie down (upon the belly).
| 1650 T. B[ayley] Worcester's Apoph. 88 As soon as ever he came in sight of the enemy, he squatted upon his belly. |
7. trans. To cause to squat; to put into, place in, a squatting attitude or posture. rare.
| 1600 Breton Pasquil's Fooles-cap lxxvi, Hee that squats a Hare within a furrowe, And sees how shee within her Muce doth Nuzzle. 1744 Gray in Gosse Gray (1882) 74 He came to meet me.., [and] squatted me into a fauteuil. 1850 Bentley's Misc. Nov. 507 They next squatted Sam upon the ground, and began to divest him of the hair of his head. |
8. intr. † a. fig. To sink into (something lower or less important). Obs.—1
| 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. i. vi, The lofty minds..thought it a poor indignity, that the high-rear'd Government of the Church should so on a sudden.. squat into a Presbytery. |
† b. With in: To remain hid; to retire from view. Obs.
| 1655 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. xi. (1669) 43/2 Peter, whose grace that squatted in for a while, came forth with such a force [etc.]. Ibid. xv. 165/2 It makes all the joy which flusht out before, squat in on a sudden. |
c. To sink in or down, in various uses.
| 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 54 These Borrachios must be wet every half quarter of an hour, for fear they should squat for want of Wine. a 1722 Lisle Husb. (1757) 80 The inner parts of these lands bind and squat together below the harrow tinings. 1846 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 591 The peas soon shake hands across the furrow, and to attempt to hoe after they have done so, or have squatted, will [etc.]. |
9. To settle upon new, uncultivated, or unoccupied land without any legal title and without the payment of rent. Orig. U.S.
Freq. const. on or upon (land).
| 1800 Mississippi Territorial Archives (1906) 212, I wish also to be instructed for my Conduct towards those people Squatting or establishing themselves upon the Public Lands. 1829 Marryat F. Mildmay xxi, He was a Kentucky man, of the Ohio, where he had ‘squatted’, as we say. 1854 Thoreau Walden (1863) 70 As for a habitat, if I were not permitted still to squat, I might purchase one acre. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 20 June 6/1 The ancestors of many of the present freeholders began to squat upon the uncultivated slopes of the hills. |
b. Austr. To rent or take up government or crown land for pasturage as a squatter.
| 1828 P. Cunningham N.S. Wales (ed. 3) II. 154 They have therefore..much to gain by new settlers ‘squatting’ near their locations. 1852 Earp Gold Col. 98 The remaining mode of occupying land in New South Wales is to ‘squat’, i.e. to lease a large tract from the Government for purposes purely pastoral. 1870 Daily News 15 Feb., A tract of 160 acres of Government land, on which he ‘squatted’, with the right to buy it at five English shillings an acre. |
c. To occupy an uninhabited building illegally (esp. said of a group of homeless people organized for this purpose); to live as a squatter (squatter n.1 1 d).
| 1880 Dixon Windsor IV. xxix. 269 Paupers had squatted in many of the towers. 1937 ‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier v. 81 In one town I remember a whole colony of them who were squatting, more or less illicitly, in a derelict house which was practically falling down. 1946 Daily Worker 9 Sept. 4/3 We..decided to assist homeless people to squat in certain of these buildings. 1969 Listener 15 May 665/1 No one expects to see 40,000 people squatting this year as there were 23 years ago. 1969 Peace News 13 June 5/1 One startling realisation..is how few is the number of families that have had the courage to squat. 1980 Oxf. Compan. Law 1171/2 Persons may squat in buildings by reason of inability to find other accommodation and may do so deliberately as a protest against shortage of housing in the area. |
d. trans. (a) To install (someone) as a squatter. (b) To occupy (a building) as a squatter.
| 1973 Guardian 23 Mar. 9/5 Shelter, the campaign for the homeless, has squatted a homeless family of six people in an Ealing council house..reserved by the council for a homeless widow with four children. 1975 Daily Tel. 22 July 12 Much has been made of cases in which occupied privately-owned property has been squatted in the temporary absence of the owner. 1976 Milton Keynes Express 28 May 11/7 He added that he squats dozens of homeless people in corporations or council houses. 1977 It June 5/1 By January '76 the place was squatted by Enrique Ahriman, self-styled Demon of Confusion. |
Add: [II.] [6.] e. In Weight-lifting, to perform a squatting exercise while holding a specified weight. Usu. const. with (the weight) or with adv. accusative indicating the weight or the number of times the exercise is repeated.
| 1956 Muscle Power Mar. 21 Anyone who..squats 10 reps with 770 lbs..is liable to accomplish the incredible. 1958 Ibid. Feb. 7/2 We also thought..that he could not possibly do much more when he was squatting with a mere (to himself) 800 lbs. 1978 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 Feb. 48/1 Wighton..can squat more than 400 pounds after working out much of the summer in a universal gym. 1985 Bodypower Oct. 26/2 The new professional sensation Rich Gaspari squats with 700 lbs for reps! 1986 Flex Feb. 83/2 Tina Woodley..squatted 325 pounds for 6 reps the day after her show! |
▪ VII. squat, adv. rare—1.
(skwɒt)
[f. the (ppl.) a.]
In a direct and straightforward manner, ‘flat’.
| 1909 Kipling Songs from Books (1913) 24 Tell old Winter, if he doubt, Tell him squat and square-a! |