I. ˈnigəl verb
( niggled ; niggled ; niggling -g(ə)iŋ ; niggles )
Etymology: origin unknown
intransitive verb
1.
a. : trifle
didn't niggle with … prepositions but printed the lecture title as it was received — Newsweek
b. : to work meticulously ; especially : to spend too much effort on minor details
2. : to find fault constantly in a petty way : carp
she haggles, she niggles, she wears out our patience — Virginia Woolf
3. : gnaw
a tiny niggling noise like a mouse — Ruth Park
the question which had niggled insistently at his brain — J.E.Macdonnell
transitive verb
: to give stingily or in tiny portions
it seems greedier to me to … niggle it out in tiny bits — Florence Bullock
II. ˈnigəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: niggle , verb
chiefly Britain : a trifling doubt, objection, or complaint