[syn: quibble, niggle, pettifog, bicker, squabble, brabble]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bicker \Bick"er\, n. [See Beaker.]
A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub.
[Prov. Eng.]
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bicker \Bick"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bickered; p. pr. & vb.
n. Bickering.] [OE. bikeren, perh. fr. Celtic; cf. W. bicra
to fight, bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perh. akin to E.
beak.]
1. To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
--Holland.
[1913 Webster]
2. To contend in petulant altercation; to wrangle.
[1913 Webster]
Petty things about which men cark and bicker.
--Barrow.
[1913 Webster]
3. To move quickly and unsteadily, or with a pattering noise;
to quiver; to be tremulous, like flame.
[1913 Webster]
They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
--Thomson.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bicker \Bick"er\, n.
1. A skirmish; an encounter. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
2. A fight with stones between two parties of boys. [Scot.]
--Jamieson.
[1913 Webster]
3. A wrangle; also, a noise,, as in angry contention.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
bicker
n 1: a quarrel about petty points [syn: bicker, bickering,
spat, tiff, squabble, pettifoggery, fuss]
v 1: argue over petty things; "Let's not quibble over pennies"
[syn: quibble, niggle, pettifog, bicker,
squabble, brabble]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
105 Moby Thesaurus words for "bicker":
altercate, argue, argufy, around the bush, bandy words, battle,
beat, beat about, beg the question, bicker over, boggle, brawl,
broil, caterwaul, cavil, choplogic, clack, clatter, clitter,
contend, contend about, contest, cross swords, cut and thrust,
dance, differ, discept, dispute, dodge, equivocate, evade,
evade the issue, fall out, fence, feud, fight, fight over, flap,
flick, flicker, flip, flit, flite, flitter, flop, flutter,
give and take, go pitapat, gutter, hassle, have it out, have words,
hedge, join issue, lock horns, logomachize, moot, mystify, nitpick,
obscure, palpitate, palter, parry, pettifog, pick nits,
pitter-patter, play, plead, polemicize, polemize, prevaricate,
pulse, pussyfoot, quarrel, quarrel over, quibble, quiver, row,
scrap, set to, shatter, shift, shuffle, shy, sidestep, slat, spar,
spat, split hairs, splutter, sputter, squabble, squabble over,
take issue with, take sides, tergiversate, thrash out, throb, tiff,
try conclusions, war, wave, waver, wrangle, wrangle over