# squirrelly behavior



## Hellsguard

Second meaning of squirrelly is very odd, silly, or foolish, says a dictionary.
Example: squirrelly behavior
Is the word used in that meaning in American English? Should I learn it?


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## owlman5

I agree that "squirrelly" means what the dictionary suggests, Hellsguard. It isn't a very common adjective, but speakers sometimes use it to describe odd or unreliable behavior in other people.


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## Hellsguard

owlman5 said:


> I agree that "squirrely" means what the dictionary suggests, Hellsguard. It isn't a very common adjective, but speakers sometimes use it to describe odd or unreliable behavior in other people.


Would all or most Americans understand if I said squirrelly behavior?


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## PaulQ

Hellsguard said:


> Second meaning of squirrelly is very odd, silly, or foolish, *says a dictionary.*


Which dictionary?


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## Hellsguard

PaulQ said:


> Which dictionary?


Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary


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## owlman5

Hellsguard said:


> Would all or most Americans understand if I said squirrelly behavior?


Yes.  It doesn't have a precise meaning, but the meaning is pretty close to "shifty behavior" or "odd behavior".


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## Hellsguard

owlman5 said:


> Yes.  It doesn't have a precise meaning, but the meaning is pretty close to "shifty behavior" or "odd behavior".


Thank you, owlman5! You are awesome! Always helpful...


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## entangledbank

I have never heard of the word, so it can't be in common use anywhere.


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## Hellsguard

entangledbank said:


> I have never heard of the word, so it can't be in common use anywhere.


I hope to see or hear it somewhere someday.


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## owlman5

entangledbank said:


> I have never heard of the word, so it can't be in common use anywhere.


I hear it and use it occasionally here in the U.S., entangledbank.  The people I talk to never seem surprised to hear it in a remark about somebody's strange "look" or odd behavior.

It probably isn't a coincidence that the word has some use among people who see a lot of shaky, nervous behavior in the swarms of gray squirrels that live here.


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## kentix

I agree with Owlman. It's a standard adjective here in the U.S. It's not slang or recent or anything like that.

Somebody who is unreliable in making commitments might be described as squirrelly.

Example:
You're at a family event and everybody is there except Uncle Joe. One person says, "Have you seen Uncle Joe? He promised he'd be here this time." Someone replies, "You know how squirrelly Uncle Joe can be about stuff like this. Maybe he'll show up later."

It doesn't have a specific meaning but indicates someone who doesn't act in reliable, standard predictable ways - which in different situations could be odd or silly or foolish. (Just like squirrels have erratic, irregular movements.)

Here's an example from a Google search, using it in a phrase that's a fairly common way of using it.

_"Now that you’re staying put for more than one week, maybe you can meet someone, too."

That got his attention. "Geez, Adam. *Don’t go all squirrelly on me. *I’m glad for you two, but now is not the right time in my life to go looking for anyone."_

I'm not sure of the exact intended meaning in this context because I only read this very short excerpt.


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## Xyz123456

For reference, in the four decades I've been alive I've never heard "squirrelly" used in the UK, nor when I was living in the US or Canada.


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## Packard

For me, "squirrelly" is a metaphor for rapid and evasive movements of a squirrel.  

So when I hear that someone is "squirrelly" I assume that they are making quick changes to avoid blame or consequences.  The changes can be in the behavior, finances, stories and lies, etc.  

It does not necessarily signal guilt (but usually does), but it does signal a desire to evade consequences.


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## kentix

Here's another example from Google. The guy is talking about the taxi cab he drives.

_The Check Engine light came on. Performance was *a little squirrelly* for a bit, and then I noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. _

Car Talk — Cabbie had signs car was overheating, even without temperature gauge rising to hot range

The car was performing erratically.


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## Hellsguard

kentix said:


> I agree with Owlman. It's a standard adjective here in the U.S. It's not slang or recent or anything like that.
> 
> Somebody who is unreliable in making commitments might be described as squirrelly.
> 
> Example:
> You're at a family event and everybody is there except Uncle Joe. One person says, "Have you seen Uncle Joe? He promised he'd be here this time." Someone replies, "You know how squirrelly Uncle Joe can be about stuff like this. Maybe he'll show up later."
> 
> It doesn't have a specific meaning but indicates someone who doesn't act in reliable, standard predictable ways - which in different situations could be odd or silly or foolish. (Just like squirrels have erratic, irregular movements.)
> 
> Here's an example from a Google search, using it in a phrase that's a fairly common way of using it.
> 
> _"Now that you’re staying put for more than one week, maybe you can meet someone, too."
> 
> That got his attention. "Geez, Adam. *Don’t go all squirrelly on me. *I’m glad for you two, but now is not the right time in my life to go looking for anyone."_
> 
> I'm not sure of the exact intended meaning in this context because I only read this very short excerpt.


I think squirrelly here is 'not able to stay still'.
You are not a _squirrelly person but, seeing me here makes you wanna to become squirrelly._
I might be right?


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## owlman5

Packard said:


> For me, "squirrelly" is a metaphor for rapid and evasive movements of a squirrel.
> 
> So when I hear that someone is "squirrelly" I assume that they are making quick changes to avoid blame or consequences.  The changes can be in the behavior, finances, stories and lies, etc.
> 
> It does not necessarily signal guilt (but usually does), but it does signal a desire to evade consequences.


Your understanding of the word seems reasonable to me, Packard.  I've never associated the word with rapidity, but it seems reasonable to do so.  "Evasive" and "erratic" are two adjectives that definitely come to mind as I think about what it means.

"Fidgety" or "jittery" might be better words to express the idea of not being able to be still, Hellsguard.  I don't associate restlessness with "squirrelly".  "Shifty" and "odd" seem much closer to me.


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## kentix

In the excerpt I posted he's talking about a way of thinking, not a way of acting. He is afraid his friend has changed his way of thinking about things and he is afraid that will affect their relationship.


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## Packard

owlman5 said:


> Your understanding of the word seems reasonable to me, Packard.  I've never associated the word with rapidity...



If someone changes his mind several times during one conversation, I might call them squirrelly.

But if they changed their minds at a glacial rate of one change every 10 years, I would not call them squirrelly even if the number of changes is the same.  

I think a time factor is part of the word's meaning.


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## PaulQ

Apparently, "squirrelly" had some use in BE about 100 years ago:
*OED: squirrelly 2. Inclined to rush this way and that, unpredictable. Of a person: demented, crazy; jumpy, nervy.*

1928   O. Elton1 _Surv. Eng. Lit._ I. iii. 70   Lady Sarah Lennox's letters are ‘at first squirrelly and girlish’.
1934   M. H. Weseen _Dict. Amer. Slang_ 198   _Squirrely_, abnormal; queer; crazy.
1960   _Spectator_ 25 Mar. 438   Her description of contestants going ‘squirrelly’ (demented) with exhaustion..makes an unpleasant sociological document.
1970   K. Platt _Pushbutton Butterfly_ (1971) x. 117   I got all squirrelly after you left. I just couldn't sit around doing nothing.

1*Oliver Elton* (3 June 1861 – 4 June 1945) was an English literary scholar whose works include _A Survey of English Literature (1730 - 1880)_ in six volumes, (from Wiki)

I'm reminded of an American film (whose name eludes me) in which a police officer tells the PI that the suspect was "at the squirrel farm."  As the PI does not understand, the officer explains "The squirrel farm - the asylum - where all the nuts are."


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## owlman5

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it faded away, yet it seems a little surprising to me that the word has died out so completely over there within a century.


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## Edinburgher

If you look at the ngrams graphs, the word is currently roughly ten times as popular in AE as it is in BE.  In BE it is so infrequent that the graph looks rather erratic (dare I say squirrelly), whereas the AE graph is smooth, and shows a meteoric rise beginning circa 1960.

"Meteoric rise" is a bit of a daft metaphor.  Meteors *fall*, don't they?


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## bennymix

kentix said:


> I agree with Owlman. It's a standard adjective here in the U.S. It's not slang or recent or anything like that.
> 
> Somebody who is unreliable in making commitments might be described as squirrelly.
> 
> Example:
> You're at a family event and everybody is there except Uncle Joe. One person says, "Have you seen Uncle Joe? He promised he'd be here this time." Someone replies, "You know how squirrelly Uncle Joe can be about stuff like this. Maybe he'll show up later."
> 
> It doesn't have a specific meaning but indicates someone who doesn't act in reliable, standard predictable ways - which in different situations could be odd or silly or foolish. (Just like squirrels have erratic, irregular movements.)
> 
> Here's an example from a Google search, using it in a phrase that's a fairly common way of using it.
> 
> _"Now that you’re staying put for more than one week, maybe you can meet someone, too."
> 
> That got his attention. "Geez, Adam. *Don’t go all squirrelly on me. *I’m glad for you two, but now is not the right time in my life to go looking for anyone."_
> 
> I'm not sure of the exact intended meaning in this context because I only read this very short excerpt.



I agree it's standard and common in AE.   Heard it at college.


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## PaulQ

In the UK, the squirrel, much like squirrels everywhere, and because of its habit or speeding around in trees, has been seen as unpredictable and slightly mad, but that position in figurative language was normally taken up by the hare, viz. Alice in Wonderland and the Mad March Hare.

Because of its habit of hoarding, the squirrel has mainly been seen as an example of being provident. (A National Saving scheme had a squirrel on its logo.) This "stashing things away" is usually seen positively, has also given rise to "to squirrel things away" - to hide (small) things for later use - so madness/unpredictability has not been to the fore.


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## owlman5

That makes sense.  We also use "to squirrel things away", but I don't think the association between squirrels and positive behavior is particularly strong over here.  We've seen too much bad behavior at the bird feeders, I suppose.


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## PaulQ

As I think about it, the AE meaning should be used because 90% of our squirrels are American Grey/Gray Squirrels!


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## ewie

entangledbank said:


> I have never heard of the word


Maybe you've heard it but just haven't recognized it, EB.  I have to resort to my Babelfish every time I hear Americanpersons talking about _squirls_.


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## owlman5

I've read a little about that problem, Paul.  It's just another sad tale in an age of rampant biological invasion.


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## kentix

Being squirrelly is a mild form of madness. Somebody with serious mental issues would be beyond squirrelly. Squirrelly-ness can often be harmless eccentricity. Sometimes it has more serious consequences.

In the cab example I quoted above he noticed small problems that he described as squirrelly and he wasn't overly concerned by them. But in that case, what he didn't know was those were indicators of major undiagnosed problems that led to the complete breakdown of his engine. At that point, the behavior went well beyond squirrelly.


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## kentix

ewie said:


> I have to resort to my Babelfish every time I hear Americanpersons talking about _squirls_.


I was thinking about that, too.

Here, squirrelly is pronounced skwer - lee, which matches the American pronunciation skwerl (one or barely two syllables, depending on the person, but rhyming with "her")


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

I've always associated it with the OED definition 2. (Of a person') "demented, crazy" PaulQ gave in #19, with the 'nuts' connotation.


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## owlman5

"Crazy" is also one of the adjectives I associate with "squirrelly", but I tend to think of this craziness as something less serious than a major mental-health disorder would be.  "Nutty" is a good word for this level of craziness.


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## Packard

owlman5 said:


> "Crazy" is also one of the adjectives I associate with "squirrelly", but I tend to think of this craziness as something less serious than a major mental-health disorder would be.  "Nutty" is a good word for this level of craziness.



"Nutty" works for me.  But "unpredictable" works even better for me.  A squirrelly person could be briefly brilliant and then completely off the rails a moment later.  

Packard: _ I went to see Mike the other day.  I wanted his opinion on a car I was planning on buying._

Jules:  _Mike's a bit squirrelly in my opinion.  You never know what he's going to say or do next._

Packard:  _I agree, but he sure knows his cars.  And he never seems to lie.  But yes, a bit nuts, and totally unpredictable._


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## Hellsguard

PaulQ said:


> Apparently, "squirrelly" had some use in BE about 100 years ago:
> *OED: squirrelly 2. Inclined to rush this way and that, unpredictable. Of a person: demented, crazy; jumpy, nervy.*
> 
> 1928   O. Elton1 _Surv. Eng. Lit._ I. iii. 70   Lady Sarah Lennox's letters are ‘at first squirrelly and girlish’.
> 1934   M. H. Weseen _Dict. Amer. Slang_ 198   _Squirrely_, abnormal; queer; crazy.
> 1960   _Spectator_ 25 Mar. 438   Her description of contestants going ‘squirrelly’ (demented) with exhaustion..makes an unpleasant sociological document.
> 1970   K. Platt _Pushbutton Butterfly_ (1971) x. 117   I got all squirrelly after you left. I just couldn't sit around doing nothing.
> 
> 1*Oliver Elton* (3 June 1861 – 4 June 1945) was an English literary scholar whose works include _A Survey of English Literature (1730 - 1880)_ in six volumes, (from Wiki)
> 
> I'm reminded of an American film (whose name eludes me) in which a police officer tells the PI that the suspect was "at the squirrel farm."  As the PI does not understand, the officer explains "The squirrel farm - the asylum - where all the nuts are."


Is it Kill Bill?


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## bennymix

Ben Beaumont Thomas--music reviewer with 'hip' vocabulary-- used 'squirrelly' in the _Guardian_:

Coachella day two: kidult silliness and Billie Eilish's freaky vibes

There are big slots for the British dance stars *Four Tet* and *Aphex Twin*, the latter on masterful form. With sassy Detroit basslines and squirrelly effects, his style is unmistakable and he enhances it by folding in tracks from other producers.
================

(I can't guarantee he's British.  Anyone know?)
===
_Guardian_, also:

*Monday briefing: 40% think multiculturalism ... - The Guardian*

https://www.theguardian.com/.../monday-briefing-40-think-multiculturalism-undermines...
Sep 17, 2018 - The study concluded that 12% of the total _UK_ population is in ... (and nippy!) this frightened, distressed ball of _squirrelly_ energy was


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## Hellsguard

I 


owlman5 said:


> Your understanding of the word seems reasonable to me, Packard.  I've never associated the word with rapidity, but it seems reasonable to do so.  "Evasive" and "erratic" are two adjectives that definitely come to mind as I think about what it means.
> 
> "Fidgety" or "jittery" might be better words to express the idea of not being able to be still, Hellsguard.  I don't associate restlessness with "squirrelly".  "Shifty" and "odd" seem much closer to me.


I know the words fidgety and jittery. However, doesn't squirrely also mean 'not able to stay still'?


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## owlman5

I have never heard anybody use it with that meaning, Hellsguard.  You would do well to keep "odd" and "shifty" in mind when you use it.  You definitely won't be "wrong" if you think about those meanings as you use "squirrelly".


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

Hi, Hellsguard, In AE at least, we use an entymological term, not a mammalian one, for "not able to stay still": "antsy".


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## Hellsguard

H


ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> Hi, Hellsguard, In AE at least, we use an entymological term, not a mammalian one, for "not able to stay still": "antsy".


Hi, ain'ttranslationfun?! All dictionaries say that squirrely means unable to stay still. Example: squirrely kids. 
Very unlikely but, it may be that you do not know?


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## owlman5

"Squirrelly kids" should mean something like "nutty, erratic, unpredictable and unreliable kids".


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

Hellsguard said:


> H
> 
> Hi, ain'ttranslationfun?! All dictionaries say that squirrely means unable to stay still. Example: squirrely kids.
> Very unlikely but, it may be that you do not know?



Actually Hellsguard, I didn't -- thanks! (P. S., "*All* dictionaries"?  )


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## kentix

I saw that definition too, but I don't know anyone who uses it that way. It's about an erratic or questionable mental state or physical action whenever I hear it. A squirrelly person might fidget in stressful situations but that's the effect, not the cause.

In the case of people, it's about the mental state. In the case of things, which don't have a mental state, it's about performing erratically. When race car drivers say a car is squirrelly in the turns it means it does not respond to them in the normal, predictable way. It moves erratically. You could say that is related to fidgeting. But in people, I always hear it about people's mental state. If kids are hyped up they might jump around, but again I would call that the effect of being in a squirrelly state of mind, not the direct meaning itself.


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## RM1(SS)

owlman5 said:


> "Squirrelly kids" should mean something like "nutty, erratic, unpredictable and unreliable kids".


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## Hellsguard

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> Actually Hellsguard, I didn't -- thanks! (P. S., "*All* dictionaries"?  )


You are welcome.
P.S. Well, I use three dictionaries. All say unable to stay still. So, all dictionaries, yes.


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## Hellsguard

owlman5 said:


> I have never heard anybody use it with that meaning, Hellsguard.  You would do well to keep "odd" and "shifty" in mind when you use it.  You definitely won't be "wrong" if you think about those meanings as you use "squirrelly".


I made a digital note of what you said. I'm good to go.


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## bennymix

kentix said:


> I saw that definition too, but I don't know anyone who uses it that way. It's about an erratic or questionable mental state or physical action whenever I hear it. A squirrelly person might fidget in stressful situations but that's the effect, not the cause.
> 
> In the case of people, it's about the mental state. In the case of things, which don't have a mental state, it's about performing erratically. When race car drivers say a car is squirrelly in the turns it means it does not respond to them in the normal, predictable way. It moves erratically. You could say that is related to fidgeting. But in people, I always hear it about people's mental state. If kids are hyped up they might jump around, but again I would call that the effect of being in a squirrelly state of mind, not the direct meaning itself.




'Erratic.'   Nice.


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## owlman5

Hellsguard said:


> I made a digital note of what you said. I'm good to go.


It is nice to know this, Hellsguard.  Thanks for telling me.


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## JulianStuart

I have several cables (Lightning-USB) and HDMI that are squirrelly - sometimes they work correctly, sometimes not.  Their performance is erratic.


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## Hellsguard

owlman5 said:


> It is nice to know this, Hellsguard.  Thanks for telling me.


I thank you for your help!


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## PaulQ

bennymix said:


> Ben Beaumont-Thomas--music reviewer with 'hip' vocabulary-- used 'squirrelly' in the _Guardian_:
> 
> ... With sassy Detroit basslines


Sassy? Sassy!  This man's BE is not to be trusted!


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