To knead or mix with the hands (e.g., dough or clay); to work a substance by hand until it becomes smooth or uniform.
パン生地を十分にこねてから発酵させる。
Knead the dough well before letting it rise.
子供が粘土を手でこねている。
The child is kneading clay with their hands.
彼女はピザの生地を丁寧にこねるのが得意だ。
She is good at carefully kneading pizza dough.
To quibble or pick at trivial points; to argue unnecessarily for the sake of argument.
会議で些細な点をこねて話が進まない。
Because people quibble over trivial points in the meeting, it can't move forward.
彼は文の言い方をいつもこねて決められない。
He always quibbles over the wording and can't make a decision.
交渉であまり細かい点をこねると信頼を失うことがある。
If you quibble too much over minor points in negotiations, you can lose trust.