bless him!

I have just asked DH and son. They both know it is squib!

It's just me!

And Syberia's OH!

Yes! It's weird. I know what a squid is too - some sort of fishy thing (I think).

Have vaguely wondered about the logic of the saying!

Yes Jingl you're right and a firework is a squib not a squid. Surely most squids are damp most of the time so what would be the significance of a damp squid anyway? Damp squibs don't 'go off' - hence the anti-climax! That was such a boring explanation - went like a damp squib really.

Well! I always thought it was squid!

I think everybody most people do.

(I knew it meant, sort of, a firework that didn't go off because it was damp)

Ooooh....do we have a pop star in our ranks?

I have just checked on t'internet to make sure I am not mistaken, and, yes, it was a lady called Kitty Lester who had a hit with "Love Letters" in the 60s. I knew the name rang a bell!!

Worse than that, Richard Bacon on Radio 5 also thought it was a damp squid and couldn't explain the meaning of the phrase to (Little) Jimmy Osmond. Luckily Peter Thingy was there to explain!

Aaah.