"Pettifoggers" Natural Recordings by Native Speakers
Pettifoggers are people who are excessively concerned with and criticized for their petty details, trivialities, or matters of minor importance, often in a way that is considered annoying or pedantic. The term is often used to describe individuals who are overly precise, finicky, or meticulous about minor aspects of an issue, while ignoring more important ones.
Petite-fog is an informal or poetic term, especially among lawyers and scientists, for a quibbler or a litigant who is professionally skilled in cavilling at and evading the question an opponent is asking, rather than addressing the material points involved in the issue being debated.
Petty and excessively concerned with minor details, often to the point of being obstructionist or annoying.