nitpick

English

WOTD – 17 June 2007

Etymology

From nit +‎ pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪt.pɪk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

nitpick (third-person singular simple present nitpicks, present participle nitpicking, simple past and past participle nitpicked)

1. (figurative) To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.

   Synonyms: cavil, flyspeck

   Someone will invariably nitpick about any spelling error posted to the forums.

   • 2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club‎:

     But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it.

2. (archaic, literal) To pick nits (lice eggs) from someone’s hair.
   I nitpicked his hair.

Related terms

• nitpicker
• nit-picking
• nitpickish
• nitpicky

Translations

to correct minutiae or find fault

Assamese: ধৰ (dhor) Catalan: filar prim (ca) Chinese: Cantonese: 找碴 (zaau2 zaa1), 找岔子 (zaau2 caa3 zi2) Hokkien: 蹊蹺／蹊跷 (khi-khiau) Mandarin: 吹毛求疵 (zh) (chuīmáoqiúcī), 吹求 (zh) (chuīqiú), 挑刺 (zh) (tiāocì), 挑錯／挑错 (tiāocuò), 挑剔 (zh) (tiāoti), 找碴 (zh) (zhǎochá), 找岔子 (zh) (zhǎo chàzi) Dutch: muggenziften (nl), mierenneuken (nl), vitten (nl) Finnish: nipottaa (fi), saivarrella (fi), hifistellä, viilata pilkkua (fi) French: pinailler (fr), chercher la petite bête (fr), chicaner (fr), chipoter (fr), mégoter (fr) German: pingelig sein (de), herumnörgeln (de) Hungarian: akadékoskodik (hu), kötözködik (hu), gáncsoskodik (hu) Indonesian: rewel (id), cerewet (id) Italian: cercare il pelo nell'uovo (literally “look for the hair in the egg”), cavillare (it), impancarsi, fiscaleggiare (it), pignoleggiare (uncommon) Japanese: 揚げ足を取る (あげあしをとる, ageashi o toru), 咎める (ja) (とがめる, togameru), 拘る (ja) (こだわる, kodawaru), 粗探しする (あらさがしする, arasagashi suru) Macedonian: ситничари (sitničari), цепидлачи (cepidlači), го тупи курот (go tupi kurot) (vulgar), тупи (tupi) (vulgar) Maltese: fettaq Maori: toretore Norwegian: Nynorsk: skjegle Polish: czepiać się impf, czepić się pf, przyczepiać się impf, przyczepić się pf; szukać dziury w całym (pl) (look for holes all over); przypieprzać się impf, przypieprzyć się pf (do + genitive) (vulgar); przypierdalać się impf, przypierdolić się pf, przypierdzielać się impf, przypierdzielić się pf (do + genitive) (vulgar) Portuguese: procurar pelo em ovo (literally “look for hair in [an] egg”), implicar (pt) Romanian: căuta nod în papură Russian: придира́ться (ru) impf (pridirátʹsja), придра́ться (ru) pf (pridrátʹsja) (к + dative case) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: цепидлачити, цјепидлачити Roman: cepidlačiti (sh), cjepidlačiti (sh) Spanish: buscar el pelo en el huevo (literally “look for the hair in the egg”), buscarle tres pies al gato (literally “look for three feet on the cat”), buscarle la quinta pata al gato (literally “look for the fifth foot on the cat”), cogérsela con papel de fumar (es) (literally “pick it up with rolling paper”) (colloquial) Swedish: kritisera småsaker Turkish: dananın altında buzağı aramak (idiom) Vietnamese: câu chấp (vi) West Frisian: miggesiftsje (rare) Yakut: тутус (tutus)

to pick nits

Danish: fluekneppe (slightly vulgar) Dutch: vlooien (nl) Finnish: nyppiä loisia, saivarrella (fi) French: chercher les poux German: lausen (de) Japanese: シラミを取る (shirami o toru) Macedonian: пошти (pošti) Portuguese: catar piolho Romanian: păduchea (ro), despăduchea (ro) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: биштати, бискати Roman: bištati (sh), biskati (sh)

See also

• quibble
• split hairs