What does pettyfogger mean?
Pettyfogger means Someone who quibbles over trifles..
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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
Someone who quibbles over trifles..
[page 200] This Fellow, I ſay, ſtiled himſelf a Lawyer, but was indeed a moſt vile Petty-fogger, without Senſe or Knowledge of any Kind; one of thoſe who may be termed Train-bearers to the Law; [...] [page 206] The Pettyfogger now likewiſe departed, and then Jones deſired the favour of Mrs Whitefield’s Company to drink Tea with him; but ſhe refuſed, and with a Manner ſo different from that with which ſhe had received him at Dinner, that it a little ſurprized him.
Use pettyfogger when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Pettyfogger means Someone who quibbles over trifles..
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
[page 200] This Fellow, I ſay, ſtiled himſelf a Lawyer, but was indeed a moſt vile Petty-fogger, without Senſe or Knowledge of any Kind; one of thoſe who may be termed Train-bearers to the Law; [...] [page 206] The Pettyfogger now likewiſe departed, and then Jones deſired the favour of Mrs Whitefield’s Company to drink Tea with him; but ſhe refuſed, and with a Manner ſo different from that with which ſhe had received him at Dinner, that it a little ſurprized him.
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