Pettifog - a podcast by Word of the Day

Pettifog is a verb that means to argue over minor points.

Our word of the day comes from two early English words: petty, meaning ‘tiny and unimportant’ and fog, derived from ‘fogger’ a word that referred to a ‘cheater.’ Over time, pettifog simply came to mean ‘to quibble’ over insignificant details.

The city council had a lot of work to do, so it was frustrating to see them pettifog over the upcoming bill’s details. Bickering over minor stuff is the best way to make sure nothing gets done.

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