I don't know anybody who is persnickety.
If you ever hear the word, the speaker is probably well over 60.
It's as rare a word as "naughty."
Kids aren't naughty any more.
They are sweet or brats.
There is no in-between.
Just as in our politics, the gray has gone away.
Everything's black or white. Okay or obscene.
But back to persnickety.
Probably Scottish, from the word pernickety, circa 1800 Google thinks. It too meant fussy.
"The prefix per- occurs in a number of other expressive words in Scot, e.g. a pergaddus thump..."
What?
Pergaddus: a heavy blow or fall.
Did I ever tell you about my dictionary?
Tomorrow.
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