adverse criticism animadversion aspersion bad notices bad press bickering boggling captiousness carping cavil caviling censoriousness chicane chicanery criticism dodging equivocation evasion exception faultfinding fencing flak hairsplitting hedging hit home thrust hostile criticism hypercriticalness hypercriticism imputation knock logic-chopping nagging niggle niggling nit obloquy overcriticalness paltering parrying pestering pettifoggery pettifogging prevarication priggishness pussyfooting quibble quibbling rap reflection reproachfulness shifting shuffling sidestepping slam stricture subterfuge swipe taking exception tergiversation trichoschistism