argy-bargy

noun

ar·​gy-bar·​gy ˌär-jē-ˈbär-jē  ˌär-gē-ˈbär-gē 

chiefly British

: a lively discussion : argument, dispute

Did you know?

Argy-bargy and its slightly older variant argle-bargle have been a part of British English since the second half of the 19th century. Argy and argle evolved in certain English and Scottish dialects as variant forms of argue. As far as we can tell, bargy and bargle never existed as independent words; they only came to life with the compounds as singsong reduplications of argy and argle. Some other colorful words that can be used for a dispute in English are squabble, contretemps, and donnybrook.

Synonyms

• discussion
• debate
• consultation
• consult
• talk
• conversation

Examples of argy-bargy in a Sentence

wouldn't be a cricket match without a little argy-bargy over the umpire's every call

the perennial argy-bargy over whether the monarchy should be abolished

Recent Examples on the Web

Now all that manic football, the back-and-forth, the argy-bargy, the disputed, disallowed or not-given penalties, the unrelenting and unforgiving pace, were distilled into this moment and Arsenal were bearing down. —Chris Waugh, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of Scots & English dialect argy, alteration of argue

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

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