Bad-tempered, grumpy, and easily annoyed; prone to complaining about small things.
From 'crotch' (a perverse notion or whim) combined with the suffix '-ety.' The word emerged in the 18th century, possibly influenced by 'crotchet,' a quarter note in music or a perverse fancy, with roots in Old French 'crochet' meaning a small hook.
The word 'crotchety' perfectly captures how someone gets 'stuck' in a grumpy mood—and the musical connection is wild: 'crotchet' originally meant a small hook-shaped mark in notation, which somehow evolved to mean both a stubborn whim AND a grumpy personality!
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