ALTERCATION
altercation. A vehement dispute; a noisy argument.
“altercation. The traditional view is that this word refers to ‘a noisy brawl or dispute,’ not
rising to the seriousness of physical violence…. But in AmE, the word now often denotes some
type of scuffling or fighting, especially in police jargon.” Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of
Modern American Usage 34 (1998). [Blacks Law 8th]