stickler
/ˈstɪk.lə/ noun, proper noun
Forms sticklers
- noun (now only Cornwall) A referee or adjudicator at a fight, wrestling match, duel, etc. who ensures fair play.
- noun Someone who insistently advocates for something, especially for strict observance of a formal rule. “Lexicographers are sticklers for correct language.”
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English stighteler, stytelere, equivalent to stickle + -er. The judges at Cornish wrestling matches do indeed carry sticks which serve for signalling and as a badge of their office. This practice has evolved from holding swords and then swordsticks.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who stickles. Specifically: -- (a) One who arbitrates a duel; a sidesman to a fencer; a second; an umpire. [Obs.]
Etymology [See Stickle, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “stickler”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details