Des Moines Dictionary: Squinty

Upon moving to the Des Moines area some twenty years ago, I was delighted to find a variety of new terms and expressions used here that I’d never heard elsewhere. With the addition of the Des Moines Dictionary to the Around Des Moines blog, I’d like to share them with you. Perhaps together we can uncover their origins or create new mythologies around them!

Let’s begin with the word, “squinty.” The online Miriam-Webster dictionary refers to the term as an adjective, but in central Iowa it is often a noun used to describe ground squirrels (pictured above). Perhaps I heard wrong, however. Writers at Wikipedia note that parts of the state call this rodent a “squinney.”

“Squinney” makes more sense to me. After all, the tiny creatures (five to six inches in length) have beady, little eyes; they’re not squinty at all. And, with a little imagination, I can see that “squinney” might be a combination of the words “squirrel” and “ground.”

Des Moines’ ground squirrels, by either name, are like any other found in the United States. They are small rodents and usually found near the ground where they dig underground burrows. And, like chipmunks, there is no mystery of where they store nuts and berries while out foraging. The bulging cheeks give them away!

What are ground squirrels called in your area? And what might you know about the origin of the name “squinty” or “squinney?”

Guest Writer: Brenda Friedrich is an Iowa-based writer and business
communications consultant. You can also find her blogging at Enroute365.