"Virtuous circle"

[Amy Speed]

I have always used the word nitpicky.

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of P2052 at AOL.COM
Sent: Monday, November 01, 1999 9:49 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Virtuous circle"


I don't intend to nitpick, either, but this is not the first time I've
encountered the verb, "nitpick," used as adjective, as in "nitpicky." Is
this
usage geographically determined, or has it been validated via some
legitimate
source?  The first time I heard a speaker use it (around 1989), another
listener "corrected" her (This interplay occurred several times.)  What's
the
word on this issue?
                    PAT