squirmish

The esteemed half term Governor Sarah Palin created a new word for the American lexicon during an unsuccessful attempt to discredit U.S. President Barack Obama. When the words squeamish and skirmish are combined, squirmish is born. A squirmish occurs when one party engages in a fight with another, but with fear, reserve, or lack of enthusiasm instead of bravado, possibly inferring a lack of courage. Using the word squirmish can be in and of itself a squirmish. For instance, instead of coming out and calling Pres. Obama a coward, Palin used an inference of cowardice, thereby demonstrating what a half-assed attack can look like, and thus a squirmish.