carnaptious
/kɑːˈnapʃəs
/adjective Scottish & Irish
Bad-tempered and argumentative: the endless round of interviews appears to have made him carnaptious...
- It is only when they get to 11 or 12 that these dogs become a bit carnaptious.
- Carnaptious and caustic, his intransigence could make him, by turn, infuriating and impossible to work with.
- Cranky and carnaptious, he vented his spleen in satires and clumsy lampoons.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from intensifying prefix car- + knap in the sense 'bite, snap' + suffix -tious.