What does until the pips squeak mean?

To “squeeze (someone) until the pips squeak,” meaning to exert heavy pressure on someone in order to extract money, information or simply obedience, is definitely a reference to the “pips” in a fruit.

Where did the saying pip squeak come from?

The late John Ciardi, a gifted poet and etymologist who sometimes went a bit too far out on a limb, traced the term to a small German artillery shell of World War I. This “pipsqeak” projectile supposedly made a “squeaking” sound before the “pip” of its explosion.

What is a peep squeak?

1. pip-squeak – someone who is small and insignificant. small fry, squirt. nobody, nonentity, cypher, cipher – a person of no influence. Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection.

What does the squeaking mean?

1 : to make a short high-pitched cry or sound. 2 : to barely get, win, or pass He squeaked through the fence. squeak.

Who said squeeze Germany until the pips squeak?

Geddes’ memorable quotation is: “We shall squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak!” which he introduced in a stump speech before the election of 1918. It became a major rallying call during the coalition’s campaign.

Who said squeeze them until the pips squeak?

This expression alludes to a speech made in 1918 by the British politician Sir Eric Geddes on the subject of Germany’s payment of indemnities after World War I: ‘The Germans…are going to pay every penny; they are going to be squeezed as a lemon is squeezed—until the pips squeak’.

Is Chowderhead a bad word?

chow•der•head n. Slang. a stupid person.

Is pipsqueak a slur?

A pipsqueak is a person or thing that is insignificant or contemptible, according to Collins English Dictionary. That’s offensive enough to ruffle the feathers of the Commons Speaker when shouted across the Commons.

Is Pip short for pipsqueak?

pipsqueak (n.) In World War I it was the soldier’s slang name for a small German shell “which makes both a pip and a squeak when it comes over the trenches” [Farrow, “Dictionary of Military Terms,” 1918]. To squeeze (something) until the pips squeak “exact the maximum from” is attested by 1918, from pip (n.

What’s another word for squeaky?

Synonyms & Antonyms of squeaky

• high-pitched,
• piping,
• screeching,
• shrieking,
• shrill,
• squeaking,
• treble,
• whistling.

What did Sir Eric Geddes want?

Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations

What does the phrase “make the pips squeak” mean?

Curiously, the epithet “pipsqueak,” meaning a weak and/or insignificant person, seems to have no real connection to “make the pips squeak.” Although it appeared about the same time (1910), “pipsqueak” employs “pip” in the sense of “something very small” and “squeak” in the sense of “small, weak sound” to convey the sense…

What does “Pip” mean?

One is “pip” meaning the dot or symbol on a playing card, die (as in dice) or domino. This “pip” has several extended meanings, such as a small spot on anything or the stars denoting rank on a military uniform. The other sort of “pip” means the small, hard seed of an apple or other fruit.

Why do some fruits squeak when they are squeezed?

The sense is that if a fruit is squeezed very strongly the pips would shoot out, perhaps at least figuratively, making a “squeaking” sound as they fly across the room.

What is the root word of Pippin?

The source of “pippin” was probably a Germanic root meaning simply “small.” To “squeeze (someone) until the pips squeak,” meaning to exert heavy pressure on someone in order to extract money, information or simply obedience, is definitely a reference to the “pips” in a fruit.