• persnickety

From Scots pernickety, persnickety, apparently from per- + nick (“a notch, mark, cutting retort”) + -et (“-ed”) + -y; equivalent to English per- +‎ nick +‎ -ety; literally, “marked up”, then “overly precise”. The alternative form persnickety, with s, may be due to substitution of Scots sneck (“a cut, notch”) for nick.

Compare also Scots variants pernicked, pernicket, pirnicky, and pernicky.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pəˈnɪk.ɪ.ti/, /pəˈnɪk.ə.ti/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /pəˈnɪk.ə.ti/, [pəˈnɪk.ə.ɾi]
• Rhymes: -ɪkɪti, -ɪkəti

pernickety (comparative more pernickety, superlative most pernickety)

1. (chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.

   Synonyms: niggly, (US) persnickety; see also Thesaurus:fastidious

   • 1953, Ian Fleming, chapter 8, in Casino Royale, page 48:

     ‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’

2. Requiring attention to minor details.