niggly

adj

1. Bad-tempered, especially about trivial details.

   “With so much at stake, both teams were hesitant and cagey early on, the game with littered with late tackles and niggly fouls.”

2. Trivial, insignificant

   “They'd argue a lot, about little niggly things — and they had never been like that.”

   “You soon discover there isn't time (nor is there any need) to put in the niggly details. The essence of the pose is its attitude or action and a hint of the model.”

3. Pernickety, paying too much attention to small details.

   “Now things are less confrontational but just as niggly. The Spanish examine drivers' papers with elaborate care, causing huge traffic jams”