1. argued over trivial matters or used petty legal technicalities
Usage: past tense of pettifog; often derogatory

Examples

• The lawyer pettifogged over minor contract details for hours.
• Instead of addressing the main issue, he pettifogged about punctuation.
• The committee pettifogged about procedural rules while important decisions waited.
• She pettifogged over every small expense in the budget review.
• The opposing counsel pettifogged throughout the entire hearing.
• They pettifogged about technicalities rather than seeking real solutions.