squirm

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To twist one's body with snakelike motions.

   The prisoner managed to squirm out of the straitjacket.

2. 2
   verb

   To twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment.

   I recounted the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm.

3. 3
   noun

   the act of wiggling

4. 4
   verb

   to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)

5. 5
   verb

   To evade a question, an interviewer etc.

6. 6
   noun

   A twisting, snakelike movement of the body.

Etymology

First recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm.