¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Pettifogs
1. pettifog [v] - See also: pettifog
Lexicographical Neighbors of Pettifogs
Literary usage of Pettifogs
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Dictionary of Americanisms. by John Russell Bartlett (1877)
"Some newspaper writers use this verb transitively, in the sense of to advocate
in the manner of a pettifogger; as, " He pettifogs his client's cause. ..."
2. The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States by Horace Greeley (1867)
"... Lee, thus pettifogs the case of the subordinate assassin : " The garrison was
summoned in the •usual manner, and its commanding officer assumed the ..."
3. ... Characters and Passages from Note-books by Samuel Butler (1908)
"... that takes no Money, but pettifogs gratis. He is very inquisitive after every
Man's Occasions, and charges himself with them like a public Notary. ..."
4. The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities by John Gilmary Shea, Henry Reed Stiles (1867)
"... statements only a slur on the portliness of that gentleman's person—in the
absence of a better argument or a more authentic authority—and he pettifogs, ..."
5. Speeches on Political Questions [1850-1868] by George Washington Julian (1872)
"... it elaborately pettifogs the cause of the monopolist from the beginning to
the end. Sir, I brand it as the Dred Scott decision of the American pioneer. ..."
6. A Visit to the United States and Canada in 1833: With the View of Settling by Richard Weston (1836)
"... call-birds of every description, mentioning the prospects of the different
trades as follows: It is no place for lawyers—every one pettifogs in America. ..."
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