A squooshed Optima Black.

Why do we use the term “squooshed” when it was obviously extended?

Just curious. There were better descriptions for this effect in my early days of specifying type — like pseudo extended, for instance.

““Squooshed” is our way of describing a font that has been squeezed graphically (a term coined by “Miss Tiffany” I think).

- Mike Yanega”

http://typophile.com/node/59100

It could be squooshed from the top. If you’re stretching in one direction it could always be interpreted as squooshing/smooshing/smashing in the other direction. The result and the crime is the same.

Thanks!