noun
- instances of engaging in petty, trivial, or dishonest legal arguments or quibbling over minor details
Usage: plural form; often used in legal or formal contexts; typically pejorative
Examples
- The lawyer's pettifoggings delayed the trial by weeks.
- We grew tired of his constant pettifoggings over contract language.
- The judge dismissed the defendant's pettifoggings as irrelevant to the case.
- Her pettifoggings about minor wording changes frustrated the entire committee.
- The contract negotiations were bogged down by endless pettifoggings.
- He was known for his pettifoggings rather than substantive legal arguments.