Idiom
split hairs
Meanings
To argue or worry about very small, unimportant details or differences.
Definition
To split hairs means to argue about very small details or differences that are not important.
To split hairs is to focus on tiny details and make fine distinctions, often in an overly picky way. People use it when a discussion becomes too technical or nitpicky instead of dealing with the main point. It often suggests the speaker thinks the argument is unnecessary or unhelpful.
Examples
- Let’s not split hairs about the exact shade of blue; just pick one.
- The lawyers kept trying to split hairs over a minor wording change.
- I think you’re splitting hairs—our main goal is still the same.
- We can split hairs later, but first we need to make a decision.
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