-gə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from petty + obsolete English fogger pettifogger, perhaps irregular from Fugger, 15th & 16th century German family of financiers and merchants
1. : a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster
a gentleman of the law — there was nothing of the pettifogger about him — George Borrow
2. : one given to quibbling over insignificant details
a ringing indictment of all the proud and cautious pettifoggers who could agree only on what could not be done — Time