A pettifogger was lord chancellor. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
pettifogger — [pet′i fäg΄ər, pet′ifôg΄ər; pet′ēfäg΄ər, pet′ēfôg΄ər] n. 〚 PETTY + obs. fogger < ?〛 1. a lawyer who handles petty cases, esp. one who uses unethical methods in conducting trumped up cases 2. a trickster; cheater 3. a quibbler; caviler pettifog … Universalium
pettifogger — a lawyer of little importance and now impliedly, one who is perhaps dubious and who will make small points more for his own gain or pleasure than that of the client. Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001 … Law dictionary
pettifogger — 1560s, from PETTY (Cf. petty); the second element possibly from obs. Du. focker, from Flem. focken to cheat, or from cognate M.E. fugger, from Fugger the renowned family of merchants and financiers of 15c. 16c. Augsburg. In German, Flemish and… … Etymology dictionary
pettifogger — [pet′i fäg΄ər, pet′ifôg΄ər; pet′ēfäg΄ər, pet′ēfôg΄ər] n. [ PETTY + obs. fogger < ?] 1. a lawyer who handles petty cases, esp. one who uses unethical methods in conducting trumped up cases 2. a trickster; cheater 3. a quibbler; caviler pettifog … English World dictionary
pettifogger — noun Etymology: probably from petty + obsolete English fogger pettifogger Date: 1576 1. a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable ; shyster 2. one given to quibbling over trifles • pettifogging adjective or noun •… … New Collegiate Dictionary
pettifogger — noun /ˈpɛtɪˌfɒɡə,ˈpɛtɪˌfɑːɡɚ,ˈpɛtɪˌfɔːɡɚ/ a) Someone who quibbles over trivia, and raises petty, annoying objections. , 1885: …yet he has never sought by browbeating and other arts of the pettifogger, to confuse, baffle, and bewilder a witness…… … Wiktionary
pettifogger — Synonyms and related words: Philadelphia lawyer, ambulance chaser, belittler, bunco artist, bunco steerer, captious critic, cardsharp, cardsharper, carper, carpetbagger, caviler, censor, censurer, common scold, con artist, con man, confidence man … Moby Thesaurus
pettifogger — (Roget s IV) n. Syn. inferior lawyer, trickster, shyster, mouthpiece*; see cheat 1 , lawyer , rascal … English dictionary for students
pettifogger — pet·ti·fog·ger || petɪfÉ‘gÉ™(r) / fÉ’ n. cheater, swindler, one who defrauds … English contemporary dictionary
pettifogger — noun archaic an inferior legal practitioner. Origin C16: from petty + obs. fogger underhand dealer , prob. from Fugger, the name of a family of merchants in Augsburg in the 15th and 16th cents … English new terms dictionary
