pettifog
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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To pettifog is ‘to engage in legal chicanery’ or ‘to quibble over insignificant details,’” the dictionary advised.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 2, 2020
Lanny, you, with all your intellect—when you know the oath as well as I—you pettifog like that!
From The Last Shot by Frederick Palmer
When his law lies upon his hands he will afford a good pennyworth, and rather pettifog and turn common barreter than be out of employment.
From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various
Thurston then proceeds to pettifog about his injunction to keep his letter to Congress about the Donation Land Bill "dark till next mail."
From Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon by Frederick Van Voorhies Holman
It wouldn't do me any good to pettifog in this matter.
From Opening a Chestnut Burr by Edward Payson Roe
Truths once accepted as "self-evident," since become awkward of acceptance, were ever thus pettifogged out of the path, and fundamental principles have in this way prescriptively been tampered with.
From "Imperialism" and "The Tracks of Our Forefathers" by Charles Francis Adams
Fancy a creature that has pettifogged, as an underling too, all his life.’
From That Stick by Charlotte Mary Yonge
The advice given yesterday with an assurance that only a settled and undoubting conviction could possibly excuse, was to-day pettifogged away mainly on the ground of Charley's worldly prosperity.
From The Faith Doctor A Story of New York by Edward Eggleston
In every part of Italy,—in Malta, in Savoy, in Parma, in Lucca, in Genoa,—and finally even in Spain, he had pettifogged, bullied, threatened, until his opponents had given way.
From Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White — Volume 2 by Andrew Dickson White
But Fom was never known to lie; she only pettifogged.
From The Madigans by Orson Lowell
Experts were doubtful from the start of his pettifogging that he had reasonable grounds to bail out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2022
But the vast majority of our elected representatives overruled the pettifogging legalisms of Kennedy and the others.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 13, 2021
On the first day of the Trump impeachment trial, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts uttered the word "pettifogging" to illustrate a point.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2020
By around the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, the pettifogging over Nadler’s use of “language that is not conducive to civil discourse” had extended from Republicans in the executive, to the judiciary, to the legislative.
From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2020
They will go on with their pettifogging and their pawnbroking, and that is enough reward for them.
From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Frederic H. Sawyer
