PETTIFOGGER


Meaning of PETTIFOGGER in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈpe-tē-ˌfȯ-gər, -ˌfä- ]

noun

Etymology: probably from petty + obsolete English fogger pettifogger

Date: 1576

1. : a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster

2. : one given to quibbling over trifles

• pet·ti·fog·ging -giŋ adjective or noun

• pet·ti·fog·gery -g(ə-)rē noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.