Squelchers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or method used to suppress or eliminate unwanted noise or sound
2. a type of footwear designed to create a squelching sound when walking in wet conditions
3. elements in storytelling that serve to undermine or counteract tension or suspense

Etymology: "Squelchers" is the plural of "squelcher", a noun formed by adding the suffix "-er" to "squelch". The "-er" ending turns a verb into a noun for something that performs its action, so a squelcher is literally a thing that squelches, here a shoe made to produce that wet, sucking noise in mud or puddles. "Squelch" is the older base. It has long meant to crush or press something soft under weight, and the sound it makes is the natural result of that action. The suffix is common and productive, which is why it could be attached to a word for a sound to name a thing that makes it, as with "squeaker" or "rattler".

Synonyms: squelch, silencers, muffles, dampeners, quenchers