quibble

Word family

quib·ble1 /ˈkwɪbəl/ verb [intransitiveI]

ARGUEto argue about small unimportant details 〔为小事〕争论，发牢骚；斤斤计较；吹毛求疵

quibble about/over

Let’s not quibble over minor details.

我们不要为了些细枝末节斤斤计较吧。

Examples from the Corpus

quibble• She said I owed her twenty dollars. I thought it was twenty-five but I wasn't going to quibble.• Come off it, Peter - you're just quibbling.• However critical some of the now-fashionable psychologists are of Chodorow, much of the give-and-take amounts to academic quibbling.• The one thing you can't quibble about is the voice.• Of course, there are things to quibble about, too.• There was no point in quibbling over semantics so we went back to Mazzin.• But that would be like quibbling over the mole on Cindy Crawford's cheek.• Why quibble over whose turn it is to buy lunch? Split it, and forget about it.• Few quibbled with the decision of those on Wall Street to serve the nation by continuing to add to its wealth.• Whilst some might quibble with the second part of that statement, who could argue with the first?

quibble about/over• The one thing you can't quibble about is the voice.• But he was not going to quibble about it this time.• There was no point in quibbling over semantics so we went back to Mazzin.• They are always quibbling about the amount they are prepared to pay their staff while drawing enormous salaries for themselves.• But that would be like quibbling over the mole on Cindy Crawford's cheek.• I didn't feel like quibbling over the price.• Of course, there are things to quibble about, too.• This is not just a quibble over words.

quibble2 noun [countableC]

CRITICIZEa small complaint or criticism about something unimportant 小小的不满[批评]；吹毛求疵

I’ve just got a few minor quibbles.

我有几个小小的意见。

Examples from the Corpus

quibble• Clinton should respond by signing on, without a quibble.• But these are quibbles, and in no way detract from Jane Brown's achievement.• So let bureaucratic quibbles take care of themselves, he decided.• The few quibbles with the game are technical in nature.• I have a few minor quibbles about the car's performance.• Firstly a couple of minor quibbles.• They retail at around £14 with a no quibble 12 month guarantee.

minor quibbles• But those are just minor quibbles.• Firstly a couple of minor quibbles.• Yet enough of the old Frank remains to make these minor quibbles.

Origin quibble2