quibble
verb /ˈkwɪbl/
/ˈkwɪbl/
[intransitive]动词形式
present simple I / you / we / they quibble | /ˈkwɪbl/ /ˈkwɪbl/ |
he / she / it quibbles | /ˈkwɪblz/ /ˈkwɪblz/ |
past simple quibbled | /ˈkwɪbld/ /ˈkwɪbld/ |
past participle quibbled | /ˈkwɪbld/ /ˈkwɪbld/ |
-ing form quibbling | /ˈkwɪblɪŋ/ /ˈkwɪblɪŋ/ |
- quibble (about/over something) to argue or complain about a small matter or an unimportant detail
(为小事)争论,发牢骚;斤斤计较;吹毛求疵 - It isn't worth quibbling over such a small amount.
不值得为这样的小数目斤斤计较。
词源early 17th cent. (in the sense ‘play on words, pun’): diminutive of obsolete quib ‘a petty objection’, probably from Latin quibus, dative and ablative plural of qui, quae, quod ‘who, what, which’, frequently used in legal documents and so associated with subtle distinctions or verbal niceties. - It isn't worth quibbling over such a small amount.