Reader question:

In this paragraph – Don't think it's enough? What did the Raptors get for Vince Carter, or the 76ers for Allen Iverson? Squat¹, by comparison – what does "squat" mean?

My comments:

It means nothing.

Really.

"Squat" is an American slang term. It's an emphatic² way of saying "nothing", or "absolutely nothing". Here, it means both those teams got little or no value – or squat value – back for trading their superstars.

Squat value, as in squat-value T-shirts are on sale at a flea³ market, means very cheap, or dirt cheap (as though the shirts are as cheap as dirt).

Another variation of "squat" is "Jack⁴ Squat". Unlike "John Doe" or "Henry Smith", names to use in conversations for the anonymous⁵ average man, "Jack Squat" is a derogative⁶ term. I guess the sound of it is not very pleasant. For example, using the two basketball superstars aforementioned, you could say: "Squat, Jack Squat, is what they got for trading Vince Carter and Allen Iverson." But then, you could be sure that those other players involved in the trades would be upset (to be compared with Jack Squat).

Anyways, I'm sure this makes "squat" easy to remember. And to help you remember the word is the only purpose here. If you can manage, don't use it in actual conversations. "Nothing", "nothing at all" or "absolutely nothing" are sufficient for expressing the same idea.

OK. That's it for today. Having talked about squat value, I hope you've got a wee bit more than that from this column.