In early use, esp. The making of captious, frivolous, quibbling, or unfair objections, arguments, or charges, in legal proceedings; the use of legal…

subtle dealing, dodging, cavilling, trickery; holding off, hesitation, demur. Also attributive in hafting point, hafting question. Obsolete.

Cavilling, ‘hair-splitting’ (obsolete).

Cavilling, quibbling (obsolete); noisy quarrelling, contentious uproar (now chiefly dialect).

The use of deception or subterfuge to achieve one's purpose, esp. a legal, financial, or political purpose; petty quibbling or (esp. legal) trickery.

The action of cavilling or taking exception; an objection or cavil; fallacious or captious argument; a quibble, sophism. (Latin captio.)

The action of catching or entangling in a noose or snare; entrapping or entangling in argument; the condition of being entangled or ensnared.

Cavilling, cavil, quibble.

Slyness or wiliness of character; the quality of being inclined to trickery, deception, or quibbling. Obsolete.