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Bicker vs Quibble - What's the difference?

bicker | quibble |

As verbs the difference between bicker and quibble

is that bicker is to quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner while quibble is to complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner.

As nouns the difference between bicker and quibble

is that bicker is a skirmish; an encounter while quibble is a trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument.

bicker

English

Etymology 1

(etyl) bikeren ‘to attack’, from (etyl) bicken ‘to stab, attack’ (modern bikken ‘to hack’), from (etyl) ‘to smash, break’.

Verb

(en verb)
  • To quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.
    • They bickered about dinner every evening.
  • * Barrow
    • petty things about which men cark and bicker
  • To move tremulously, quiver, shimmer (of a water stream, of a flame)
  • *XIX cent,
    • I come from haunts of coot and hern, / I make a sudden sally, / And sparkle out among the fern, / To bicker down a valley.
  • * Thomson
    • They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
  • To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.
  • * Holland
    • Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
    Derived terms
    *bickerer
    Synonyms
    * wrangle * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A skirmish; an encounter.
  • (Scotland, obsolete) A fight with stones between two parties of boys.
    • (Jamieson)
  • A wrangle; also, a noise, as in angry contention.

    • Etymology 2

    See beaker.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub.
    • (Webster 1913)

    External links

    * *

    quibble

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument.
    • He harped on his quibble about how the dark red paint should be described as carmine rather than burgundy.
  • A shift or turn from the point in question; a trifling or evasive distinction; a cavil.
  • * I. Watts
    • Quibbles have no place in the search after truth.
  • (obsolete) A pun.

    • Synonyms

    * See

    Verb

    (quibbl)
  • To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner.
    • They are constantly quibbling over insignificant details.

    Synonyms

    * See

    References