Word of the Day

: June 11, 2010

argy-bargy

noun ahr-jee-BAHR-jee

What It Means

: a lively discussion : argument, dispute

argy-bargy in Context

After much argy-bargy, Paul and Hugh finally came up with a plan that satisfied them both.

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 words that can be used for a dispute in English are "squabble," "contretemps," and "donnybrook."