Pettifoggers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Persons who specialize in minor legal disputes or deceitful practices
2. Those who emphasize insignificant legal issues while neglecting more substantial matters
3. Lawyers who focus excessively on small and insignificant legal points rather than major issues ; legal professionals who employ deceitful or underhanded methods to achieve their ends

Etymology: Its first half is "petty," meaning small or trivial, which came into English from Old French "petit." The second half, "fogger," is harder to pin down, so the force of the compound rests mainly on that first element. Together they describe someone who concerns himself with minor details. The word's sense of underhanded dealing grew out of that image of fussing over trifles. A lawyer who hunts for technicalities and small points can easily slide into one who bends procedure to win, and the word covers both.