argy-bargy
UK /ˈɑːdʒiˌbɑːdʒi/ · US /ˈɑɹdʒiˌbɑɹdʒi/ noun, verb
Forms argy-bargies argy-bargying argy-bargied argie bargie argie-bargie argy bargy
- noun (chiefly UK) A noisy disagreement, often with some fighting “There was a wee bit of an argy-bargy outside the pub.”
- verb (chiefly UK) To argue.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Scots, variant of argle-bargle, documented since 1822, presumably due to replacement of -le (“frequentative”) with -y (“diminutive”), documented since 1857, but without effect on the meaning.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “argy-bargy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details