Word of the Day Archive
Sunday May 5, 2013
quibble \KWIB-uhl\
, verb:
1. to equivocate.
2. to carp; cavil.
noun:
1. an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue.
2. the general use of such arguments.
3. petty or carping criticism; a minor objection.
Don't quibble. You're in deep enough now, young man.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Welcome to the Monkey House, 1968
I didn't quibble about the price. No man can say that. I just wanted peace; I paid them their price without quibbling.
-- William Faulkner, Light in August, 1932
Quibble is related to the more common word quip. They both come from the Latin word quibus meaning "indeed."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for quibble
