argy-bargy

English

Alternative forms

• argie bargie, argie-bargie, argy bargy

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.

Pronunciation

• (General American) spelling pronunciation: IPA^(key): /ˈɑɹdʒiˌbɑɹdʒi/, traditional pronunciation: IPA^(key): /ˈɑɹɡiˌbɑɹɡi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɑːdʒiˌbɑːdʒi/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)dʒi

Noun

argy-bargy (countable and uncountable, plural argy-bargies)

1. (chiefly UK) A noisy disagreement, often with some fighting

   There was a wee bit of an argy-bargy over the dodgy matter.

   • 2003 November 6, Lynne Truss, “Introduction – The Seventh Sense”, in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, London: Profile Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 29:

     At least if you adopt a zero tolerance approach, when you next see a banner advertising “CD’s, DVD’s, Video’s, and Book’s”, you won’t just stay indoors getting depressed about it. Instead you will engage in some direct-action argy-bargy!

Translations

argy-bargy — see commotion

Verb

argy-bargy (third-person singular simple present argy-bargies, present participle argy-bargying, simple past and past participle argy-bargied)

1. (chiefly UK) To argue.
   • 1897, J. M. Barrie, chapter 6, in Margaret Ogilvy:

     Ten minutes at the least did she stand at the door argy-bargying with that man.

Synonyms

• argle-bargle
• argol-bargol