Definition of "niggle"

niggle

/ˈnɪɡəl/

noun
plural niggles
1. A minor complaint or problem.
  Quotations
  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.
  2012, Anna Kessel, “London 2012: Christian Taylor aims high as Phillips Idowu stays away”, in The Guardian
  He declared that it would take until the early New Year for all the faults and niggles to be ironed out, and that the rest of 2019 would be deemed to be a 'bedding in' period.
  2020 January 2, Richard Clinnick, “After some alarms, Sleeper awakens”, in Rail, page 47
2. (obsolete) Small, cramped handwriting.
verb
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.
  Quotations
  I shall so feed your fierce vexation , And raise your worship ' s storms ; I shall so niggle you , And juggle you , and fiddle you , and firk you
  c. 1621, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Pilgrim”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)
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 UK) To fidget, fiddle, be restless.

Definition of "niggle"

niggle

noun

Quotations

verb

Quotations