pernickety
English
Etymology
Scots pernickety, persnickety, of uncertain origin; the Dictionary of the Scots Language says that it resembles per- (“intensifying prefix”) + nick, but might be derived from particular + finicky with the form influenced by past participles ending in -et, -it, -ed.[1]
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /pɜː(ɹ)ˈnɪk.ɪ.ti/, /pɜː(ɹ)ˈnɪk.ə.ti/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪkɪti, -ɪkəti
Adjective
pernickety (comparative more pernickety, superlative most pernickety)
- (chiefly British) Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.
- Synonyms: niggly, (US) persnickety; see also Thesaurus:fastidious
- 1953, Ian Fleming, chapter 8, in Casino Royale, page 48:
- ‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’
- Requiring attention to minor details.
Translations
paying undue attention to minor details
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requiring attention to minor details
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References
- “pernicketie” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
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