pettifogging

Variant of pettifogger

pettifogger definition

petti·fog·ger (pet′i fäg′ər, -fôg′-; pet′ē-)

noun

  1. a lawyer who handles petty cases, esp. one who uses unethical methods in conducting trumped-up cases
  2. a trickster; cheater
  3. a quibbler; caviler

Etymology: petty + obs. fogger < ?

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.