What's the difference between cavil and pettifog?

Cavil


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason.
  • (v. t.) To cavil at.
  • (n.) A captious or frivolous objection.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) There's another cavil about the Moritz gift, and that is the anxiety that the dawning of a new age of philanthropy heralds a further withdrawal of the state from the funding of English universities.
  • (2) In normal subjects the results are comparable with the results published by Cavill et al (1977).
  • (3) One of the apprentice carpenters at Bridgend, Luke Cavill, 20, was looking forward to voting for the first time.
  • (4) Cumberbatch has clearly arrived in the US media – he follows the likes of The Avengers' Tom Hiddleston and Man of Steel's Henry Cavill in appearing on the kids' TV show.
  • (5) A statement from DC and Warner Bros said: “In a massive expansion of the Studio’s DC Entertainment-branded content, Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinema will release a slate of at least 10 movies – as well as standalone Batman and Superman films – from 2016 through 2020 that expands this prized universe of characters: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed by Zack Snyder (2016) Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer (2016) Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot (2017) Justice League Part One, directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017) The Flash, starring Ezra Miller (2018) Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa (2018) Shazam (2019) Justice League Part Two, directed by Zack Snyder (2019) Cyborg, starring Ray Fisher (2020) Green Lantern (2020) Facebook Twitter Pinterest The second Avengers movie, Age of Ultron, is being released by Marvel next year.
  • (6) I thought this was all fair enough, although surely, I cavilled, if building simulacra of Neolithic houses and learning how to flint knap is our new route to the past, then really the actual monument itself is somewhat besides the point.
  • (7) Last month, it was confirmed that Ben Affleck will star as the caped crusader opposite Henry Cavill's last son of Krypton.
  • (8) Tom Hardy and Idris Elba are first and second, ahead of Homeland’s Damian Lewis, Poldark’s Aidan Turner, and the Superman star Henry Cavill.
  • (9) Though counts may cavil and marquises moan , the Spanish parliament, backed by the Spanish electorate, has now put a stop to this kind of discrimination – a policy powerfully endorsed by the king (though succession in the monarchy remains, for the moment, exempt from reform).
  • (10) Christian Bale will return as Batman opposite Henry Cavill's Superman in a Justice League movie overseen by Christopher Nolan , according to an influential US blog.
  • (11) The main body of the report included lots of cavils about the claim to see the "discernible human influence".
  • (12) Then, a slew of superhero signings was spotted; the British-raised Andrew Garfield was cast as Spider-Man, Welshman Christian Bale as Batman, and the Stowe-educated Henry Cavill as Superman.
  • (13) If Nolan, Snyder and Cavill are involved, we can expect a more serious-minded Justice League to emerge, one that eschews the comic books' throwaway primary colour brashness for a more furrow-browed, stylish and atmospheric take.
  • (14) Cavill auditioned for the role of Batman before losing out to Bale for the 2005 film, and was also reportedly up for James Bond prior to Daniel Craig's appointment for 2006's Casino Royale.
  • (15) Early signs from Man of Steel so far have also hinted that Cavill's Superman could just about live in the same universe as Nolan's Batman, but it would still be a spectacular coup if Warner pulled it off.
  • (16) Now imagine a Justice League film with Christian Bale's tortured Batman and Henry Cavill's navel-gazing Superman suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a completely unheralded Martian Manhunter, who's nipped round for a coffee to show off holiday snaps of his recent trip to Pluto.
  • (17) Zack Snyder will direct the follow-up to his $630m global hit Man of Steel and will reunite with his Superman, Henry Cavill.
  • (18) By teaming Bale with Cavill, the star of this summer's heavily hyped Zack Snyder-directed Man of Steel , the studio believes it could compete with Joss Whedon 's The Avengers II and JJ Abrams ' Star Wars: Episode VII.
  • (19) The Dark Knight 's Christopher Nolan, who oversaw the film in a much-hyped "godfather" producer's role, may have less input into the follow-up, which would be expected to see Britain's Henry Cavill reprising his role as Kal-El.
  • (20) Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman in 2015's Man of Steel sequel, the storyline of which is said to be inspired by Frank Miller's iconic 1986 graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns.

Pettifog


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To do a petty business as a lawyer; also, to do law business in a petty or tricky way.
  • (v. t.) To advocate like a pettifogger; to argue trickily; as, to pettifog a claim.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) An Israeli commentator said of the first of them: "when one looks through all the lofty phraseology, all the deliberate disinformation, the hundreds of pettifogging sections, sub-sections, appendices and protocols, one clearly recognises that the Israeli victory was absolute and Palestine defeat abject."
  • (2) He’s the ultimate Gary Stu character: a billionaire beholden to no one and able to abuse every disingenuous and pettifogging remora latched headfirst on the nation and sucking upward.

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