When and how did we get from calling a bullet stuck in a barrel a squib load? The word originated with a guy named Squibb who designed a few bullet molds. The old Lyman/Ideal #311413 was/is a Squibb bullet for example. Sometimes the level of mis-use of words in the English language is astonishing, made worse by people not knowing (or caring) about how easily the vernacular can be twisted out of shape.