quib´bling|ly

quib|ble «KWIHB uhl», noun, verb, -bled, -bling.

–n.

1. an unfair and petty evasion of the point or truth by using words with a double meaning: »

a legal quibble. To a plain understanding his objections seem to be mere quibbles (Macaulay).

SYNONYM(S): equivocation.

2. a play upon words; pun: »

It was very natural…that the common people, by a quibble…should call the proposed “Moderation” the “Murderation” (John L. Motley).

–v.i.

to evade the point or the truth by twisting the meaning of words: »

He was not averse to quibbling with [the] Department of Justice attorney over whether an associate in the rights congress was known as Marjorie Robinson or Margaret Robinson (New York Times). Oh, Miss Lucretia, who pride yourself on your plain speaking, that you should be caught quibbling! (Winston Churchill).

╂[apparently, diminutive < obsolete quib quip < Latin quibus, dative and ablative plural of quī who, which (because it was much used in legal jargon)]

–quib´bling|ly, adverb.