"pettyfog" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pettyfogs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogging",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogged",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogged",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "pettyfog (third-person singular simple present pettyfogs, present participle pettyfogging, simple past and past participle pettyfogged)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "pettifog"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949, News Bulletin of the Iowa State Bar Association - Volumes 9-13",
          "text": "His was the nimble brain which delayed, pettyfogged, and conceived the confusing novel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1975, Canada. Parliament. House of Commons, House of Commons Debates, Official Report - Volume 6, page 6023",
          "text": "Member: You are pettyfogging now.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Ziauddin Sardar, Robin Yassin-Kassab, Critical Muslim 07: Muslim Archipelago",
          "text": "Such pettyfogging was not the temper desired for what King Manoel of Portugal already termed his Empire of the Indies.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of pettifog"
      ],
      "id": "en-pettyfog-en-verb-DTXV~S7h",
      "links": [
        [
          "pettifog",
          "pettifog#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "pettyfog"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pettyfogs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogging",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogged",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pettyfogged",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "pettyfog (third-person singular simple present pettyfogs, present participle pettyfogging, simple past and past participle pettyfogged)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "pettifog"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949, News Bulletin of the Iowa State Bar Association - Volumes 9-13",
          "text": "His was the nimble brain which delayed, pettyfogged, and conceived the confusing novel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1975, Canada. Parliament. House of Commons, House of Commons Debates, Official Report - Volume 6, page 6023",
          "text": "Member: You are pettyfogging now.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Ziauddin Sardar, Robin Yassin-Kassab, Critical Muslim 07: Muslim Archipelago",
          "text": "Such pettyfogging was not the temper desired for what King Manoel of Portugal already termed his Empire of the Indies.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of pettifog"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pettifog",
          "pettifog#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "pettyfog"
}