flying squid a general name applied to squid of the family Ommastrephidae, which constitute about three-quarters of the commercial catch of squid in the world. Flying squid do not really fly, but can propel themselves out of the water, to escape predators, and glide for some distance.
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.