Definitions for pettifogger
pet·ti·fog·ger

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shyster, pettifoggernoun

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

2. quibbler, caviller, caviler, pettifoggernoun

   a disputant who quibbles; someone who raises annoying petty objections

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

1. pettifoggernoun

   Someone who quibbles over trivia, and raises petty, annoying objections.

2. pettifoggernoun

   An unscrupulous or unethical lawyer, especially one of lesser skill.

3. Etymology: From petty + fogger.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pettifoggernoun

   A petty small-rate lawyer.

   Etymology: corrupted from pettivoguer; petit and voguer, Fr.

   The worst conditioned and least cliented petivoguers get, under the sweet bait of revenge, more plentiful prosecution of actions. Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwall.

   Your pettifoggers damn their souls
   To share with knaves in cheating fools. Hudibras.

   Consider, my dear, how indecent it is to abandon your shop and follow pettifoggers; there is hardly a plea between two country esquires about a barren acre, but you draw yourself in as bail, surety or solicitor. John Arbuthnot, Hist. of J. Bull.

   Physicians are apt to despise empiricks, lawyers, pettifoggers, merchants and pedlars. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pettifogger

   A pettifogger is a person who unnecessarily complicates or exaggerates minor disputes or issues, especially a lawyer who resorts to unscrupulous or deceptive practices in petty cases for personal gain.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pettifoggernoun

   a lawyer who deals in petty cases; an attorney whose methods are mean and tricky; an inferior lawyer

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pettifogger

   pet′i-fog-ėr, n. a lawyer who practises only in paltry cases.—v.i. Pett′ifog, to play the pettifogger.—n. Pett′ifoggery, mean tricks: quibbles.—adj. Pett′ifogging. [Petty, and obs. fog, to cheat (cf. Old Dut. focker).]

Matched Categories

1. • Malcontent
   • Wrongdoer

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce pettifogger?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pettifogger in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pettifogger in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pettifogger in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pettifogger
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pettifogger
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=pettifogger
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pettifogger
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=pettifogger
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=pettifogger