Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A small sin or fault.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A small flaw or sin.
- n. A petty offense.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A slight trespass or offense; a petty crime; a trifling fault.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A slight trespass or offense; a petty crime or fault.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a petty misdeed
Etymologies
Examples
-
They cannot figure out why a sexual peccadillo is given so much attention.
-
When some brave souls pointed out that the peccadillo was a notoriously flightless bird they were hung, drawn and hacked up into bite-sized portions as a precaution.
-
It is an action between friends, just as my silence on the subject of your peccadillo is a friendly action.
-
(Soundbite of laughter) Ms. POUNDSTONE: I don't know, you know, I have a silly peccadillo which is that I call body parts by their names.
-
And how, exactly, do you sugarcoat the following as a "peccadillo":
-
It is not easy to render this term by a short and apt English term; "peccadillo" would come near the meaning.
Luther Examined and Reexamined A Review of Catholic Criticism and a Plea for Revaluation
-
An Islamic movement that upholds Islamic principles and values like Pas cannot afford to see that kind of peccadillo creeping into its workings.
-
The Times continues to treat communism as a cute campus peccadillo like pot smoking or nude streaking.
-
Nick Clegg's U-turn on student fees is a trivial peccadillo compared with his infinitely more damaging U-turn on public spending.
The Coalition and the Constitution by Vernon Bogdanor – review
-
Unhappy ghosts lurk everywhere in these corridors, waiting to pounce on anyone with a sexual peccadillo or illicit skeleton in their designer closets.
Matt's Guide to Weekend TV: Fringe, Doctor Who, Dexter and More
brtom commented on the word peccadillo
"Rain, exposure at dewfall on the sea rocks, a peccadillo at my time of life." Joyce, Ulysses, 15
January 1, 2008