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Pettifogger: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Pettifogger noun. A lawyer who handles petty cases with quibbles and dubious tricks.
How to say it
PET-ee-fog-uh/ˈpɛtɪfɒɡə/
4 syllables, stressed on the first (PET). Forms: pettifogging, pettifoggers.
Pettifogger in a sentence
Only a pettifogger would take a two-pound parking dispute to court.
The contract was stuffed with clauses by some pettifogger who billed by the hour.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- quibbler
- hairsplitter
- ambulance chaser
Where pettifogger comes from
From petty and an obsolete word fogger, a sharp dealer, whose own origin is uncertain.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The contract was stuffed with clauses by some _____ who billed by the hour.
- usury
- pettifogger
- peculation
Show the answer
pettifogger: The contract was stuffed with clauses by some pettifogger who billed by the hour.