squirm

Etymology

First recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm.

verb

1. To twist one's body with snakelike motions.
   The prisoner managed to squirm out of the straitjacket.
   The Dutchman then missed a retaken second spot-kick, before the Trotters hit back when Daniel Sturridge's shot squirmed under Heurelho Gomes. February 5, 2011, Michael Kevin Darling, “Tottenham 2 - 1 Bolton”, in BBC
2. To twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment.
   I recounted the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm.
   MARIGOLD: Should I tell them I know? 2010, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content 1686: Twist in the Wind
3. To evade a question, an interviewer etc.

noun

1. A twisting, snakelike movement of the body.