split hairs

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Noun 1.2 Verb 1.2.1 Synonyms 1.2.2 Related terms 1.2.3 Translations 1.3 See also

[edit] English

[edit] Noun

split hairs (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) Tedious details; minutiae.
   • 1999, Lev Grossman, "Microsoft Tangled Up in Videotape Evidence," Time, 4 Feb.,

     The Microsoft trial had been in danger of slipping out of the public eye. Its endless procession of less-than-riveting economics professors and forgetful executives, mixed with scads of legal and technical split hairs, just hasn't made for gripping headlines.

[edit] Verb

to split hair (third-person singular simple present splits hairs, present participle splitting hairs, simple past and past participle split hairs)

1. (idiomatic) To consider or argue about fine details; to worry about minutiae.

   Let’s get everything sorted into the right drawers and not split hairs about subdividing it further yet.

[edit] Synonyms

• cavil

[edit] Related terms

• hair-splitting
• hair-splittingly

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• chop logic
• nitpick