Chicaner
/ʃɪˈkeɪnə/noun
To use tricky, petty arguments or legalistic quibbling to evade a point or delay action.
Did you know?English *chicanery* comes through French legal slang, and its deeper trail may connect to a verb meaning to haggle or wrangle—proof that some words were born in the courtroom, not the temple.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
French
chicaner
“to quibble, pettifog, or use legal trickery”
Late Middle Ages
French
chicane
“a petty dispute, legal quibble, or technical objection”
16th Century
English
chicane
“a trick, evasion, or quibble”
17th Century
English
chicanery
“trickery, sophistry, or deceptive legal maneuvering”
Modern English
English
chicaner
“to engage in chicanery or quibbling trickery”