Quibble \Quib"ble\, n. [Probably fr. quib, quip, but influenced
by quillet, or quiddity.]
1. A shift or turn from the point in question; a trifling or
evasive distinction; an evasion; a cavil.
[1913 Webster]
Quibbles have no place in the search after truth. --
I. Watts.
[1913 Webster]
2. A pun; a low conceit.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Quibble \Quib"ble\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quibbled; p. pr. & vb.
n. Quibbling.]
1. To evade the point in question by artifice, play upon
words, caviling, or by raising any insignificant or
impertinent question or point; to trifle in argument or
discourse; to equivocate.
[1913 Webster]
2. To pun; to practice punning. --Cudworth.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To cavil; shuffle; equivocate; trifle.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
quibble
n : an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant
distinctions or objections [syn: quiddity, cavil]
v 1: evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant
objections
2: argue over petty things; "Let's not quibble over pennies"
[syn: niggle, pettifog, bicker, squabble, brabble]
WordNet (r) 2.0
122 Moby Thesaurus words for "quibble":
adverse criticism, animadversion, argue, argufy, around the bush,
aspersion, bad notices, bad press, bandy words, beat about,
beg the question, bicker, boggle, captiousness, carp, carping,
catch at straws, cavil, caviling, censoriousness, chicane,
chop logic, choplogic, contend, contest, criticism, criticize,
cross swords, cut and thrust, cut up, discept, dispute, dodge,
equivocate, equivocation, evade, evade the issue, evasion,
exception, fault-find, faultfinding, fence, find fault, flak,
give and take, hair-splitting, hairsplitting, hassle, have it out,
hedge, hit, home thrust, hostile criticism, hypercriticalness,
hypercriticism, imputation, jesuitism, join issue, knock,
lock horns, logomachize, moot, mystify, nagging, nicety, niggle,
niggling, nit, nit-picking, nitpick, obloquy, obscure,
overcriticalness, palter, paltering, parry, pestering, pettifog,
pettifogging, pick holes, pick nits, pick to pieces, plead,
polemicize, polemize, prevaricate, priggishness, pull apart,
pull to pieces, pussyfoot, quibbling, quiddity, quillet, quip,
quirk, quodlibet, rap, reflection, reproachfulness, shift, shuffle,
shy, sidestep, slam, sophism, sophistry, spar, split hairs,
squabble, stricture, subtlety, swipe, take exception, take sides,
taking exception, tear apart, tear to pieces, tergiversate,
thrash out, trichoschistism, try conclusions, wrangle
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
QUIBBLE. A slight difficulty raised without necessity or propriety; a cavil.
2. No justly eminent member of the bar will resort to a quibble in his
argument. It is contrary to his oath, which is to be true to the court as
well as to the client; and bad policy because by resorting to it, he will
lose his character as a man of probity.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
|
|
|