Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./N.Z.) a look, a glance; thus have/take a squiz v., to inspect, to peep at surreptitiously.

1915		C.J. Dennis ‘A Spring Song’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 15: Jist take a squiz at this, an’ tell me can / Some square an’ honist tom take this to be / ’Er own true man?
1915		Argus (Melbourne) 4 Dec. 7/2: Let’s go up Collins Street and have a squiz at the war map.
1924		G.H. Lawson Dict. of Aus. Words And Terms 🌐 SQUIZ—A hurried look.
1939		J. Campbell Babe is Wise 311: Just take a squizz at yourself in the glass for once.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 83: Take a squiz at that.
1947		J. Maclaren-Ross Of Love And Hunger 37: Let’s have a squiz.
1958		D. Stivens Scholarly Mouse and other Tales 67: We had a hard squiz at the back of his neck.
1964		N.B. Harvey Any Old Dollars, Mister? 111: Let’s have a squiz at those nasty cuts.
1968		D. O’Grady Bottle of Sandwiches 78: I’ll have a closer squizz later, mate.
1976		R.M. Kavanagh Survival in Kavanagh S. Afr. People’s Plays (1981) 145: I’ve got the outside prison, prison outside blues / take a good squiz, there just ain’t nothing to choose / between the inside prison, prison outside blues.
1979		D. Maitland Breaking Out 202: Sanderson took another squizz at the gold-rush mural.
1980		M. Bail Homesickness (1999) 79: The Imperial War Museum? I’d always wanted to have a squiz there.
1984		P. Slabolepszy ‘Under the Oaks’ in Mooi Street (1994) 30: Let me have a squizz through those things?
1985		B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 8: I generally screen them by taking a squizz through the two-way mirror.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 107/1: squiz a glance, often calculating, combining squint and quiz.
1992		K. Lette Llama Parlour 95: You’ll give the punter a squizz at the ole second card, huh?
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 65: Then he took a squiz at Lady Cynthia who zapped him with her zillion-dollar smile .
2001		G. Coughlan Everyday Eng. and Sl. 🌐 Squizz (n): a look-see.
2003		Guardian G2 5 June 3: The jackeroos roll into town for a squizz at the ankle-biter.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 35: I [...] stuck my head through the door and took a quick squizz.
2014		me-stepmums-too-fuckin-hot-mate at www.fakku.net 🌐 Could actual...cop a squiz at the rest of her knickers.
2021		C. Hammer Opal Country 327: ‘Is it okay if I have a bit of a squiz around while I’m here?’.