niggle /ˈnɪɡəl/verb 5noun 2forms 3 verb5 •To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner. •To dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details. •(UK) To fidget, fiddle, be restless. •(no longer used) To trifle with; to deceive; to mock.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 — 1621 •(dialect, no longer used) To walk with short steps.I can see him now with his one eye closed as he came niggling along, and didn't he just give me a grandfather's blessing! — 1893 noun2 •A minor complaint or problem.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 •(no longer used) Small, cramped handwriting. formsniggled · niggling · niggles
