Poor graceless squabby thing, she smelled of spoiled onions as well as dead fish.

The Empire brought in squat and squabby shapes, comfortable enough no doubt, but entirely destitute of inspiration.

As he laments: "Indeed, it is not easy for a man of my inches to hit off the right bearing in this world of deck beams and squabby tars.

"Since those first squabby reed vessels waddled across the ocean from here to there, holding little nameless people who had nothing in common but their dreams of discovery, the word 'ship' has become profound!"