squawk

plural squawks

1. A shrill noise, especially made by a voice or bird. If made by a bird, it typically signals discomfort or anger; a yell, scream, or call.
2. aeronauticsA four-digit transponder code used by aircraft for identification or transmission of emergency signals.
3. informalA complaint or objection.

   That was the last roundup for McCutcheon’s Cresswell; it never moved from that field again. Not that there was any squawk from the landlord; the two of them owned it, of course.

   1983, Stephen King, Uncle Otto's Truck

4. aeronauticsAn issue or complaint related to aircraft maintenance.

   We think instructors should stress the importance of writeups on all maintenance squawks after the completion of each flight. More important, something should be done by the aircraft operator to correct such squawks.

   1969, American Aviation, volume 32

5. The American night heron.
6. informalcomputingA warning message indicating a possible error.

   The function-hiding code above, for instance, goes through a different (but widely used) compiler with nary a squawk.

   2012, Scott Meyers, Effective C++ Digital Collection: 140 Ways to Improve Your Programming

present singular third person squawks · participle present squawking · participle past squawked · past squawked · first person past singular squawked · archaic present second person singular squawkest · past second person singular squawked · archaic past second person singular squawkedst · present singular third person squawks · archaic present singular third person squawketh · past singular third person squawked · past plural squawked · past subjunctive squawked · participle present squawking · participle past squawked

1. To make a squawking noise; to yell, scream, or call out shrilly.

   The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance.

   1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC

2. intransitiveslangTo speak out; to protest.
3. intransitiveslangTo report an infraction; to rat on or tattle; to disclose a secret.

   "I'll slit your throat if you squawk on us," Krantz threatened.

   1948, Andrew Geer, The Sea Chase, page 68

4. informalintransitivecomputingTo produce a warning message, indicating a possible error.

   You want the compiler to squawk if you try to instantiate for a type that doesn't implement IPrioritizable.

   2013, Bill Sempf, Chuck Sphar, Stephen R. Davis, C# 5.0 All-in-One For Dummies

   1 more example

   That way, if you type = instead of ==, the compiler will squawk because you can't assign something to a constant.

   1993, Steve Maguire, Writing Solid Code

5. aeronauticsTo set or transmit a four-digit transponder code. (Normally followed by the specific code in question.)

   After discovering that the hydraulic system is faulty, the pilots squawked 7700 and declared mayday.

6. USdatedslangTo back out in a mean way.