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bicker

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To quarrel or argue noisily over trivial matters—suggesting petty conflict, often used metaphorically in poetic contexts.

Detailed Definition
“Bicker” implies petty, rapid conflict—like the sound of clashing water or voices. In pastoral poetry, it describes streams (“bickering brook”) or lovers’ spats. Its onomatopoeic quality suits light satire or comic relief, contrasting with grander themes. Though minor, it adds texture to dialogue or natural description, capturing the irritations that punctuate human or natural harmony.
Example
Example in poetry:
"They bickered like waves on a rocky shore," a simile in a domestic poem; In Burns: "The bickering burn ran down the glen"; "Cease thy bicker, brother, lest wrath consume us," pleads a peacemaker in epic; Shakespeare uses "bicker" to mean a skirmish in Henry VI; "The winds bicker in the eaves at night"; Their love, once sweet, now bickers over trifles.
Additional Notes
“Bicker” denotes petty, noisy quarrels, often among equals or lovers; in pastoral or comic verse, it adds realism or light conflict, but in serious contexts, it can symbolize societal fragmentation or moral triviality.
Also Known As
quarrel squabble spat
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