Quell, squelch and quench

2 comments July 30th, 2008

The phrase “to squelch the flames with fire extinguishers” is close but no cigar.

To “squelch” is “to crush or smash by or as by falling or stamping upon; squash” or, informally, “to suppress or silence completely and with a crushing effect.”

Technically, you can squelch a small fire, like a burning cigarette, by stamping on it — or smashing it with a fire extinguisher.

A similar word is “quell,” meaning either “to crush; subdue; put an end to” or “to quiet; allay.”

“Garner’s Modern American Usage” advises that “squelch” works better for suppressing ideas, feelings and the like, while “quell” is the word of choice for “stifling a violent uprising or competitive bid.”

So you would try to squelch talk of a rebellion, and failing that, try to quell the ensuing riots.

As for putting out larger fires, a better verb is “quench.”