Word of the Day 9.23.9

pettifogger

pet·ti·fog·ger (pt-fgr, -fôgr)

n.

1. A petty, quibbling, unscrupulous lawyer.

2. One who quibbles over trivia.

[Probably petty + obsolete fogger, pettifogger.]

petti·fogger·y n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

pettifogger – a person (especially a lawyer or politician) who uses unscrupulous or unethical methods

offender, wrongdoer – a person who transgresses moral or civil law

2.

pettifogger – a disputant who quibbles; someone who raises annoying petty objections

malcontent – a person who is discontented or disgusted

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Share

Posted on September 23, 2009 by admin

Filed under Word of the Day | | No Comments »