squirm

Object

• ball: The striker stabbed a first-time angled effort goalwards and the ball squirmed through the grasp of Myhre and crept over the line.
• shot: The goal scorer screamed " leave it " as his shot squirmed under Oldridge but the ref allowed the goal.
• way: It makes you squirm the way he praises himself so highly.

Converse of object

• make: Michael Crawford never made an audience squirm quite like Eddie did.
• watch: There is nothing better than watching celebrities squirm or panic and Ashton and his team have a real gift for doing it.
• see: But for this one, he recommended it as a " first date " movie to see the fella squirm.

Modifying Another Word

• away: Kai, still groggy from the fumes, squirmed away, dragging the wizard with him till he could go no further.
• about: John was squirming about in his arms; he clearly didn't want to be there.
• just: She has to be picked up to be put in there, and she'll wiggle and squirm just like the cat.
• uncomfortably: Very enjoyable, but impossible for any woman, whether childless or a mother, to watch without squirming uncomfortably in her seat.
• much: After many apologies and much squirming on my part, he allowed me to climb from his back garden into mine.
• then: I almost brought in Greg owen before last week, and then squirmed as he did really well!

Followed by an intransitive particle

• around: Whist we were squirming around flat out in water Dales style, Jane had found our next site.
• out: Charlie's pointing out the way Ian Blair is trying to squirm out of a situation of his own making.
• through: Without stopping to think, he lay on his stomach and squirmed through just far enough to stick his head out the other side.

Followed by a transitive particle

• off: A distracted Mulliner lost the ball under pressure from opposite number and the ball squirmed off the bar.

Used with why or when

• when: I squirm impotently when people write to ask me to recommend a Sea of Faith church in their area.

Preposition: under

• keeper: Buckingham started brightly and went ahead when a low shot by Abdul squirmed under the keeper and into the net.

Preposition: with

• embarrassment: Thinking back on it all, I can't help squirming with embarrassment.

Noun used with modifier

• ball: However, Widdowson with another moment to forget saw the ball squirm through his hands and into the net.