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All Site ContentRomeo and JulietAct 1Scene 4
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"joiner squirrel or old grub"
Allusion
Act 1,
Scene 4
Lines 65-69

An explanation of “joiner squirrel or old grub” in the Queen Mab speech of Act 1, Scene 4 of myShakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Mercutio

Her chariot is an empty hazelnut
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out o' mind the fairies' coach-makers.
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love;

Squirrels and worms were considered the carpenters of the animal kingdom — one gnawed on wood, while the other bored through it — and this reference frequently appears in literature of the time.