pettifog

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pet·ti·fog·ger

 (pĕt′ē-fŏg′ər, -fô′gər)
n.
1. A lawyer whose practice involves petty matters or who lacks sound legal judgment or skills.
2. One who quibbles over trivia.
[Probably petty + obsolete fogger, pettifogger (probably akin to obsolete German Fugger, successful merchant, usurer, huckster, after the House of Fugger).]
pet′ti·fog′ v.
pet′ti·fog′ger·y n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pettifog

(ˈpɛtɪˌfɒɡ)
vb, -fogs, -fogging or -fogged
(Law) (intr) to be a pettifogger
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pet•ti•fog

(ˈpɛt iˌfɒg, -ˌfɔg)

v.i. -fogged, -fog•ging.
1. to quibble over trifles.
2. to carry on an unethical law business.
3. to practice chicanery.
[1605–15; back formation from pettifogger= petty + fogger < Middle Low German voger or Middle Dutch voeger one who arranges things; akin to Old English gefōg a joining]
pet′ti•fog`ger, n.
pet′ti•fog`ger•y, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pettifog


Past participle: pettifogged
Gerund: pettifogging

Imperative
pettifog
pettifog
Present
I pettifog
you pettifog
he/she/it pettifogs
we pettifog
you pettifog
they pettifog
Preterite
I pettifogged
you pettifogged
he/she/it pettifogged
we pettifogged
you pettifogged
they pettifogged
Present Continuous
I am pettifogging
you are pettifogging
he/she/it is pettifogging
we are pettifogging
you are pettifogging
they are pettifogging
Present Perfect
I have pettifogged
you have pettifogged
he/she/it has pettifogged
we have pettifogged
you have pettifogged
they have pettifogged
Past Continuous
I was pettifogging
you were pettifogging
he/she/it was pettifogging
we were pettifogging
you were pettifogging
they were pettifogging
Past Perfect
I had pettifogged
you had pettifogged
he/she/it had pettifogged
we had pettifogged
you had pettifogged
they had pettifogged
Future
I will pettifog
you will pettifog
he/she/it will pettifog
we will pettifog
you will pettifog
they will pettifog
Future Perfect
I will have pettifogged
you will have pettifogged
he/she/it will have pettifogged
we will have pettifogged
you will have pettifogged
they will have pettifogged
Future Continuous
I will be pettifogging
you will be pettifogging
he/she/it will be pettifogging
we will be pettifogging
you will be pettifogging
they will be pettifogging
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pettifogging
you have been pettifogging
he/she/it has been pettifogging
we have been pettifogging
you have been pettifogging
they have been pettifogging
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pettifogging
you will have been pettifogging
he/she/it will have been pettifogging
we will have been pettifogging
you will have been pettifogging
they will have been pettifogging
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pettifogging
you had been pettifogging
he/she/it had been pettifogging
we had been pettifogging
you had been pettifogging
they had been pettifogging
Conditional
I would pettifog
you would pettifog
he/she/it would pettifog
we would pettifog
you would pettifog
they would pettifog
Past Conditional
I would have pettifogged
you would have pettifogged
he/she/it would have pettifogged
we would have pettifogged
you would have pettifogged
they would have pettifogged
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.pettifog - argue over petty things; "Let's not quibble over pennies"
bicker, brabble, squabble, niggle, quibble
argue, contend, debate, fence - have an argument about something
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pettifog

verb
To raise unnecessary or trivial objections:
carp, cavil, niggle, nitpick, quibble.
Idiom: pick to pieces.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
I use my mathematics skill to pettifog my treatises,
The Pirates of Penzylvania Avenue
For sitting judges, this starts with sensitive courtroom behavior and speaking clearly--in English, not in Latin, not in French, and not in pettifog. Whether it is explaining trial delays to jurors, or bail decisions to the public, or the rule against perpetuities to litigants, we need to say what we mean.
Rethinking traditional approaches
They sacrifice their own integrity on behalf of the faith that is melting away beneath them even as they continue to pettifog and prevaricate in its defense.
A crowded but empty tomb
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