Also 7–9 squawl (8 squawll). [Imitative: cf. SQUEAL v. It is doubtful whether there is any direct connection with some Scand. forms having the stem skval- and denoting noise of various kinds.]
1. intr. To scream loudly or discordantly: a. Of birds or animals.
c. 1631. Drayton, Noah’s Flood, Wks. (1748), 467/1. The raven croaks, the carrion crow doth squall, The pye doth chatter, and the partridge call.
a. 1721. Prior, Turtle & Sp., 422. Begone … And hear thy dirty Off-spring Squawl From Bottles on a Suburb-Wall.
[1759. Ann. Reg., 65. They said, that as he squalled like a cat, they would dispatch him likewise.]
1842. Tennyson, Day-Dream, 144. The parrot scream’d, the peacock squall’d.
1859. Miss Cary, Country Life (1876), 263. A flock of geese swimming in a shallow pond and squalling when he comes near.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., III. xiii. They … gave a cheer that … sent the birds once more flying and squalling round the anchorage.
b. Of persons, esp. children.
The common usage. Freq. with a touch of contempt.
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. s.v., The least Thing that ails him makes him squawl.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Squawl,… to cry a loud.
1724. Swift, Corinna, Wks. 1751, III. II. 154. She seem’d to laugh and squawl in rhymes.
1760. Goldsm., Cit. W., lxxxv. If they be for war,… I should advise them to have a public congress, and there fairly squall at each other.
1835. Politeness & Gd.-breeding, 76. If any thing unpleasant happens at table,… do not squall out.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xxxix. Seated at the piano with the utmost gravity, and squalling to the best of her power.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., I. v. Don’t stand here squalling.
2. trans. To utter or sing in a loud discordant tone. Also with out.
1703. T. Baker, Tunbridge-Walks, I. To hear a parcel of Italian Eunuchs, like so many Cats, squawll out somewhat you don’t understand.
1762. Phil. Trans., LII. 475. The woman squalled out, all of a sudden, that an adder … had stung her by the finger.
1779. Mirror, No. 34. She sung, or rather squalled, a song of Sacchini’s.
1835. Court Mag., VI. 25/1. One of the common-place psalm tunes, squalled by charity children to the bellowing organ of some second-rate chapel of ease in a country town.
