[Of obscure origin: perhaps connected with prec.]
1. A sudden and violent gust, a blast or short sharp storm, of wind. Orig. Naut.
1719. Boyer’s Dict. Royal, I. Rafale, Rafal,… squall.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 128. It blew … not only by squalls and sudden flaws but a settled terrible tempest.
1745. P. Thomas, Jrnl. Anson’s Voy., 346. A very violent and sudden Squall took us quite a-head.
1820. Scoresby, Acc. Arctic Reg., I. 402. The squalls continued from five minutes to half an hour at a time.
1841. Elphinstone, Hist. Ind., II. 7. He was drowned, with all his family, in a sudden squall on the Indus.
1886. Pall Mall Gaz., 4 Oct., 8/2. A fishing boat … was upset by a squall on the same day, and its three occupants perished.
Comb. 1898. Daily News, 19 April, 3/2. The squall-beaten shores of the Basque Provinces.
b. Const. of (wind, rain, snow, etc.).
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. viii. 78. We had frequent squalls of rain and snow.
1777. Robertson, Hist. Amer. (1783), I. 55. A sudden squall of wind … landed them on an unknown island.
1844. H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, I. 347. Captain Cole landed … in a heavy squall of wind and rain, which effectually concealed his movements.
1879. Beerbohm, Patagonia, v. 68. We encountered squalls of hailstones of unusual size.
transf. and fig. 1878. B. Harte, Man on Beach, i. 7. A sudden flurry and gray squall of sand pipers.
1887. Stevenson, J. Nicholson, vi. Squalls of anger and lulls of sick collapse.
c. With distinguishing terms (see quots.).
1801. Naval Chron., VI. 91. A white squall passed over.
1823. Crabb, Technol. Dict., s.v., A black squall is attended with a dark cloud, in distinction from a white squall, where there are no clouds, and a thick squall, accompanied with hail, sleet, &c.
1846. A. Young, Naut. Dict., 293. The Arched Squall … is usually distinguished by the arched form of the clouds near the horizon. Ibid. The Descending Squall issues from clouds which are formed in the lower parts of the atmosphere near the observer.
1889. Stevenson, Lett. (1899), II. 136. We had a black squall astern on the port side and a white squall ahead to starboard.
2. fig. A disturbance or commotion; a quarrel; a storm: a. In general use. (Chiefly Sc.)
1813. Bruce, Poems, II. 19 (E.D.D.). Keep out o’ ilka squall aye.
1826. D. Anderson, Poems, 69 (E.D.D.). In raisin’ or in reddin’ squals [they] Met wi’ their death.
! 1900. ‘Allen Raine,’ Garthowen, i. 4. There was a squall when that was found out.
b. In the phr. look out for squalls. Orig. Naut.
1837. Marryat, Dog Fiend, xxiv. Look out for squalls, that’s all.
1850. Smedley, Frank Fairlegh, xxxi. Mind your eye, and look out for squalls, for that’s a rasper and no mistake.
1902. Eliz. L. Banks, Newspaper Girl, 299. Ah! Now, I suppose, we must look out for squalls. I suppose in this book you … are going to pay off old scores.
c. U.S. A bad temper.
1807–8. W. Irving, Salmag. (1824), 96. The old gentleman came home in quite a squall.
