the.com/bickering
Arguing about nothing, forever, because admitting you forgot is worse than winning.
means To quarrel repeatedly over petty, trivial things, usually in a drawn-out, snippy back-and-forth.
from From Middle English 'bikeren,' meaning to skirmish or fight, likely echoing the quick, repetitive clatter of blows — the same rat-a-tat rhythm you hear in a petty squabble. Possibly related to Dutch 'bicken,' meaning to slash or attack. What once described actual combat shrank down over centuries into the small-scale warfare of 'you always leave the cap off the toothpaste.'
- actual topic
- rarely the thing being argued about
- win condition
- outlasting the other person's patience
- peak form
- couples arguing in a grocery store aisle
- resolution rate
- near zero, nobody remembers the verdict