Also 8 squalley. [f. SQUALL sb.3]
1. Characterized by the prevalence of squalls.
a. Of places, seasons, etc.
1719. Boyer’s Dict. Royal, I. s.v. Rafale, Cote sujette aux rafales, a squally Coast.
1830. Hodgson, in Raine, Mem. (1858), II. 175. The hills … in a squally evening look very black and dismal.
1848. Clough, Amours de Voy., III. 48. In the squally seas as we lay by Capraja and Elba.
1876. Black, Madcap Violet, xlv. 388. The day was squally enough, and might turn to showers.
b. Of weather.
1727. Bailey, Squalley, inclinable to sudden Storms of Wind and Rain.
1745. P. Thomas, Jrnl. Anson’s Voy., 25. Squally Weather, with Hail and Snow.
1782. Nelson, 22 July, in Nicolas, Disp. (1846), VII. p. iv. I imagine we are just getting into the Gulf stream by its being so very squally.
1866. R. M. Ballantyne, Shifting Winds, xiv. The weather became thick and squally, and continued so for several days.
1890. Science-Gossip, XXVI. 283. It was very squally at the time, with occasional showers of hail.
2. Of the wind: Blowing in sadden and violent gusts or blasts.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. i. 303. The wind proved squally, and blew so strong off shore [etc.].
1797. Nelson, 12 April, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), II. 379. The wind is either in from the sea, or squally with calms from the mountains.
1810. Shelley, Zastrozzi, xii. The towering pine-trees waved in the squally wind.
1883. Stevenson, Silverado Sq., 168. The wind veered … and began to blow squally from the mountain summit.
3. fig. Stormy, troublous, threatening. Chiefly U.S., esp. in the phr. to look squally.
1814. W. Irving, in Life & Lett. (1864), I. 315. Affairs, I am afraid, are about to look squally on our Canada frontier.
1833. [Seba Smith], Lett. J. Downing, xiv. (1834), 95. The times are now gittin pretty squally, and if we don’t look out sharp, things will go all to smash.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xlv. (1856), 418. But for some hours things looked squally enough.
1876. Mrs. H. Wood, Parkwater (1879), 284. In the midst of her squally bargaining with the fish-vendor.
