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# pettifog

verb (pettifog, pettifogs, pettifogged, pettifogging — old, rare)

«pettifog» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (old) To argue about small, unimportant details in a fussy way. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#m1)
2. (old) To act as a petty, tricky lawyer who works on small, mean cases. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#m2)

### In the lessons

Very rare; found in old books, mostly as «pettifogging» (fussy about tiny details) and «pettifogger» (a petty, tricky lawyer). In stories it describes a fussy, mean-minded person who argues about nothing, like the court in Alice's trial.

### Examples

- Stop pettifogging about the rules and let's play! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#x1)
- The pettifogging clerk counted every penny. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#x2)
- He was called a pettifogger by the angry judge. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#x3)
- The old lawyer would pettifog for hours over a comma. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#x4)
- Don't pettifog — the main idea is right. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/#x5)

### Note

Rare and old-fashioned. Commonest form: the adjective «pettifogging». Related to «petty» (small, unimportant).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «pettifog» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pettifog/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«pettifog» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pettifog.html) on Mova free.