Dictionary

argy-bargy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑɹɡiˌbɑɹɡi/ (General-American)
• /ˈɑɹdʒiˌbɑɹdʒi/ (General-American)
• /ˈɑːdʒiˌbɑːdʒi/ (Received-Pronunciation)

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.

Meanings

1. (UK, countable, uncountable) A noisy disagreement, often with some fighting
   • There was a wee bit of an argy-bargy outside the pub.
   • 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! 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:

Forms

argy-bargy en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑɹɡiˌbɑɹɡi/ (General-American)
• /ˈɑɹdʒiˌbɑɹdʒi/ (General-American)
• /ˈɑːdʒiˌbɑːdʒi/ (Received-Pronunciation)

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.

Meanings

1. (UK) To argue.
   • Ten minutes at the least did she stand at the door argy-bargying with that man. 1897, J. M. Barrie, chapter 6, in Margaret Ogilvy:

Forms

Synonyms

argle-bargle · argol-bargol