What's the difference between dispute and squib?

Dispute


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To contend in argument; to argue against something maintained, upheld, or claimed, by another; to discuss; to reason; to debate; to altercate; to wrangle.
  • (v. t.) To make a subject of disputation; to argue pro and con; to discuss.
  • (v. t.) To oppose by argument or assertion; to attempt to overthrow; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of; as, to dispute assertions or arguments.
  • (v. t.) To strive or contend about; to contest.
  • (v. t.) To struggle against; to resist.
  • (v. i.) Verbal controversy; contest by opposing argument or expression of opposing views or claims; controversial discussion; altercation; debate.
  • (v. i.) Contest; struggle; quarrel.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Various metabolites of etoposide and teniposide have been identified but their detection and quantitation are disputed.
  • (2) A full-scale war is unlikely but there is clear concern in Seoul about the more realistic threat of a small-scale attack on the South Korean military or a group of islands near the countries' disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea.
  • (3) Brewdog backs down over Lone Wolf pub trademark dispute Read more The fast-growing Scottish brewer, which has burnished its underdog credentials with vocal criticism of how major brewers operate , recently launched a vodka brand called Lone Wolf.
  • (4) The dispute is rooted in the recent erosion of many of the freedoms Egyptians won when they rose up against Mubarak in a stunning, 18-day uprising.
  • (5) The cost-cutting shakeup is being overseen by NHS England, but is already sparking a series of local political battles over the future of services, and exposes the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to fresh criticism after his controversial role in the junior doctors dispute.
  • (6) Buckingham Palace was drawn into the dispute when it was revealed that Pownall had sought advice from the Lord Chamberlain, a key officer in the royal household, on the potential misuse of the portcullis emblem due to it being the property of the Queen.
  • (7) All have territorial disputes with Beijing over the South China Sea , a route for about $4.5tn (£3.4tn) in trade that the US is concerned China wants to fully control.
  • (8) Xu, the ABP chairman, disputed any claims of impropriety, and said his company went through a “robust and thorough” tender process.
  • (9) The calls were organised after the administration unsuccessfully asked FBI officials to dispute the accuracy of stories, the Post said.
  • (10) Australian Border Force staff involved in a dispute over pay and conditions have been stood down without pay in an attempt to head off industrial action.
  • (11) Nguyen Van Hai criticised the government for its handling of tensions with China over disputed islands in the South China Sea.
  • (12) This weekend a new dispute has erupted over government proposals to hive off child protection services to companies such as Serco and G4S ; perhaps the ministers and officials behind those plans should look at the case of Sana when they come to make their final decision on the future of another vulnerable section of the population.
  • (13) A custody or visitation dispute occurred in 12 (39%) of 31 sexual abuse complaints lodged against a parent.
  • (14) It is unclear if the steps against Australian advisers have any connection to the Manus dispute.
  • (15) During a time of ongoing industrial action in response to a continuing position of contractual imposition, there is obvious and significant discontent amongst the junior doctor workforce.” Junior doctors are only willing to support the review after the current industrial dispute is resolved, the statement ends.
  • (16) The role of the macrophage in destruction of virulent treponemes is disputed.
  • (17) The Cabinet Office review was presented at the weekend as an exercise largely focused on the Unite union's strategy of leverage , a form of protest outside the homes of senior executives involved in industrial disputes.
  • (18) Construction of the academy was delayed over a dispute between the Raising Malawi charity and villagers who claimed they were not adequately compensated for land.
  • (19) However, certain principles should not be disputed, since nowadays there is hardly any doubt as to their validity.
  • (20) Palmer sought to clarify his statements on Tuesday, and said they were aimed at the company he is currently locked in a dispute with, and not the broader Chinese population.

Squib


Definition:

  • (a.) A little pipe, or hollow cylinder of paper, filled with powder or combustible matter, to be thrown into the air while burning, so as to burst there with a crack.
  • (a.) A kind of slow match or safety fuse.
  • (a.) A sarcastic speech or publication; a petty lampoon; a brief, witty essay.
  • (a.) A writer of lampoons.
  • (a.) A paltry fellow.
  • (v. i.) To throw squibs; to utter sarcatic or severe reflections; to contend in petty dispute; as, to squib a little debate.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) It’s a damp squib, a bit of a nothing result,” a leading energy analyst said of a report that is widely expected to endorse provisional findings released in March , and recommend price controls on prepayment meters and setting up a customer database to help rival suppliers target customers stuck on expensive default tariffs.
  • (2) UK watchdog accused of bowing to pressure from 'big six' energy suppliers Read more However, it was not temporary precipitation that meant the CMA produced a damp squib but months of ferocious lobbying by the big six to ensure the industry is left largely in its existing state.
  • (3) Not only doesn’t Australia, as a nation, possess these protections, but the Coalition government is actively opposed to their implementation, while Labor squibbed the opportunity to do something about it in 2010.
  • (4) But their great offensive has been a damp squib, consisting mostly of lecturing greens that we can’t “turn off fossil fuels overnight”.
  • (5) Yet in the peace-giving west, the award remains significantly venerated – a testament, surely, to being a dynamite idea in principle (if you'll forgive the cliched reference to Alfred Nobel's other gift to the world ) but a mostly damp squib in practice.
  • (6) Gordon Brown's long awaited measures to help people struggling with soaring gas and electricity bills may have been derided as a bit of damp squib, but at least there are grants out there to help you insulate your home.
  • (7) 4.36pm BST Markets close European markets have nearly all closed up, except for the FTSE after a handful or blue chip firms went ex-dividend today FTSE 100 down 15 points (0.2%) at 6579 DAX up 16 points (0.2%) at 8432 CAC up 22 points (0.6%) at 4115 FTSE MIB up 83 points (0.5%) at 17463 IBEX up 31 points (0.4%) at 8783 4.00pm BST Michael Hewson, senior market analysts at CMC Markets, says the end of the EU recession is a damp squib which has shown up the disparity between France, Germany and the rest of the continent.
  • (8) Alternatively, there are fears that the authorities have left it too late for quantative easing and that it will prove another damp squib.
  • (9) "With the budget a damp squib, the economy faltering and the NHS reforms becoming more unpopular each and every day, marchers will have returned home determined to step up their democratic campaign against policies that neither government party put before the electorate at the last election."
  • (10) Paul Turner-Mitchell, a business rates expert, said the autumn statement had been “terrible” for retailers, with increasing signs that a review of the commercial property tax would prove a damp squib.
  • (11) Brown's closest ministerial ally, Ed Balls, said the email was a "damp squib" by a few disgruntled MPs and insisted that the cabinet was "absolutely united" behind Brown.But the number of cabinet voices emerging in support of Brown did not begin to rise to a chorus until early evening, among them two of the ministers tipped as possible successors to Brown – the home secretary, Alan Johnson, and the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who said today's call by rebels would be seen as a "temporary distraction" from the job of fighting the Conservatives and laying out future plans for the country.
  • (12) Ishaq Siddiqi , market strategist at ETX Capital, says shares have been trading in a 'narrow range' in European markets, ahead of tonight's fireworks (or damp squibs) from Ben Bernanke .
  • (13) Yet somehow her campaign launched as if a damp squib was the height of her ambition.
  • (14) According to Chris Prior: Whilst I'd probably get lynched for saying this within the confines of my office (working for a major bookmaker and surrounded by England fans): I can't help but think that another damp-squib of a 0-0 draw and subsequent exit would be nearly as funny as the fallout from England 2-3 Croatia, especially given the amount of trust and belief that people have invested in Fabio Capello this time around (and the usual argument of the over-inflated ego's of the overpaid players of the "EPL").
  • (15) Gillard described Abbott’s motion as a “damp squib” 4.02am GMT 'We will fight and fight and fight' Julia Gillard declares in the House of Representatives: We will fight and fight and fight and when the election is held in September we will prevail because the choice will be so clear and the right path for a stronger future will be so clear too.
  • (16) If one does in the coming hours, then what Brown's allies were happy to call a damp squib will spark back to potentially lethal life.
  • (17) The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope (Columbia, 1978) In an ideal world, the Clash's discography would hop from their eponymous debut to their masterpiece, London's Calling, but in between lurks this notorious damp squib.
  • (18) The Hindustan Times felt that "without a legally binding document, the summit turned into a damp squib".
  • (19) Brexit negotiator warns Donald Trump poses 'third threat' to EU Read more However, a senior Lib Dem source said there was “no chance” of getting any substantial amendments passed with cross-party support and the debate was likely to be a “damp squib”.
  • (20) Europe's day of protest is intended as a show of union power staging a comeback, but may prove a noisy damp squib, a demonstration of angry impotence.