niggle

English

Etymology

First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪɡəl/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡəl

Noun

niggle (plural niggles)

1. A minor complaint or problem.
   • 2012, The Guardian, London 2012: Christian Taylor aims high as Phillips Idowu stays away, by Anna Kessel

     The Olympic medal contender's back problem has been described as a "niggle" by the head coach, Charles van Commenee, but Porter's friend and former team-mate Danielle Carruthers revealed that the injury is playing on the Briton's mind.

2. (obsolete) Small, cramped handwriting.

Verb

niggle (third-person singular simple present niggles, present participle niggling, simple past and past participle niggled)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To trifle with; to deceive; to mock.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Beaumont and Fletcher to this entry?)

2. (transitive) To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner.
3. (intransitive) To dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details.
4. (intransitive, chiefly Britain) To fidget, fiddle, be restless.

Derived terms

• niggly

Translations

to trifle, to deceive, to mock

to dwell too much on minor points

• Dutch: muggeziften
• Finnish: niuhottaa

• Hungarian: akadékoskodik (hu), kukacoskodik (hu), kötekedik (hu), szőröz

to fidget, to fiddle, to be restless

• Dutch: peuteren (nl), frunniken (nl)
• Hungarian: izeg-mozog, mocorog, fészkelődik (hu)

• Russian: суети́ться (ru) n (sujetítʹsja)

Anagrams

• egling, gingle, leggin, leging