Nigglesome

I would think it's about what you indicate: irritating. It looks like a cross between niggling and nettlesome to me.

CK

The earliest use I found was from an 1813 satire of the gothic novel The heroine: or, Adventures of Cherubina. The heroine is shown a letter purportedly written by her lover to another woman who is also his landlady:
>Accept the pair of bracelets enclosed herewith, and don't you be so teizing [sic] and nigglesome about my bill, which I will discharge in a twinkling, when the manager pays me my salary. And what makes you think I won't marry you ? Dearest, dearest creature, I am not the man to jilt you after that fashion. Only wait till old uncle tips me the shiners; and then, if I don't perform my promise, send me to Bedlam, for I shall be as mad as a March hare.

But the heroine later discovers the letter is a forgery:
>All is as I thought. My Montmorenci has proved himself the most aspersed of men; and has convinced me, that the letter to the landlady, was a Forgery, written by herself. Indeed, the most unquestionable witnesses of his innocence, are, 'nigglesome' and ' tips me the shiners.' Wretched woman! He thinks of prosecuting her, next term.

I think the deal is that "nigglesome" and "tips me the shiners" are low-class phrases that Our Hero would never use, but the wretched landlady would. I'm not about the wade through the danged book to be sure. (Shiners were gold coins).

I believe it is a slang/low class term for irritating. I've read it in a book somewhere, maybe To Kill a Mockingbird, and vaguely remember it being used by a lower class character. Websters and Encarta do not have it listed, btw.

annoying

I don't think of it as lower class although I could be wrong there. I've know it always (that is, I don't remember when I learned what it meant) . As I know it, would be more precise than irritating or annoying - it is something small and petty but continuing that irritates because it doesn't go away.

There's 13 000 hits for "niggling doubt". I think its usually doubt that niggles.

I'm sure it won't be long before "nigglesome" is banned as being racist.

13 000 hits for "niggling doubt"

But no one's questioning "niggling," only "nigglesome." By the way, I get 59,000 google hits for "niggling doubt." I also get two for "nettlesome doubt." But I get zero for "nigglesome doubt."

CK