squawks

Noun

squawk (plural squawks)

1. A shrill noise, especially made by a voice or bird. If made by a bird, it typically signals discomfort or anger; a yell, scream, or call.
2. A four-digit transponder code used by aircraft for identification or transmission of emergency signals.
3. (informal) A complaint or objection.
   • That was the last roundup for McCutcheon’s Cresswell; it never moved from that field again. Not that there was any squawk from the landlord; the two of them owned it, of course.1983, Stephen King, Uncle Otto's Truck
4. An issue or complaint related to aircraft maintenance.
   • We think instructors should stress the importance of writeups on all maintenance squawks after the completion of each flight. More important, something should be done by the aircraft operator to correct such squawks.1969, American Aviation, volume 32
5. The American night heron.
6. (informal) A warning message indicating a possible error.
   • The function-hiding code above, for instance, goes through a different (but widely used) compiler with nary a squawk.2012, Scott Meyers, Effective C++ Digital Collection: 140 Ways to Improve Your Programming

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