argle-bargle

English

Etymology

First documented in English in 1822, from Scots (where first recorded in 1808),[1][2][3][4] from earlier argle (“argue obstinately, wrangle”) used in English since 16th century, presumably from argue +‎ -le (“frequentative”), though possibly from Old Norse (Suio-Gothic) ierga[2] – possibly influenced by haggle[5] – plus rhyming reduplication, possibly from bargain, found in early variant aurgle-bargain (1720).[4][6]

Noun

argle-bargle (countable and uncountable, plural argle-bargles)

(slang) A verbal argument.
- 1992, Rebecca Ward, Grand Deception, page 43:
  Wendell and I have had our share of argle-bargles about the morality of hunting.
- 2013, United States v. Windsor, 544 U.S. 744, 799 (2013) (Scalia, J., dissenting)
  As I have said, the real rationale of today’s opinion, whatever disappearing trail of its legalistic argle-bargle one chooses to follow, is that DOMA is motivated by '"bare . . . desire to harm"' couples in same-sex marriages.

Verb

argle-bargle (third-person singular simple present argle-bargles, present participle argle-bargling, simple past and past participle argle-bargled)

(slang) To argue.
- 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Captain Knuckles Under”, in Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC, page 97:
  Last night ye haggled and argle-bargled like an apple-wife; and then passed me your word, and gave me your hand to back it; and ye ken very well what was the upshot. Be damned to your word!

Synonyms

wringle-wrangle

Derived terms

argle-bargle morble whoosh

Related terms

References

Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “argle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
John Jamieson, Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Tongue. p. 82
“Scalia's argle-bargle”, Ben Zimmer, Language Log, June 27, 2013
Words in the Courtroom, from Mobspeak to "Argle-Bargle", Ben Zimmer, Word Routes, June 27, 2013
Word Detective, Issue of January 5, 2006, “Put up your duke's.”, Evan Morris.
“But ’tis a Daffin to debate, / And aurgle-bargain with our Fate.” —Allan Ramsay, Poems, “The Rise and Fall of Stocks, 1720. An Epistle to the Right Honorable my Lord Ramsay.”, p. 270

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[1] Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “argle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

[Jamieson-2] John Jamieson, Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Tongue. p. 82

[ZimmerLL-3] “Scalia's argle-bargle”, Ben Zimmer, Language Log, June 27, 2013

[ZimmerWR-4] Words in the Courtroom, from Mobspeak to "Argle-Bargle", Ben Zimmer, Word Routes, June 27, 2013

[Morris-5] Word Detective, Issue of January 5, 2006, “Put up your duke's.”, Evan Morris.

[6] “But ’tis a Daffin to debate, / And aurgle-bargain with our Fate.” —Allan Ramsay, Poems, “The Rise and Fall of Stocks, 1720. An Epistle to the Right Honorable my Lord Ramsay.”, p. 270