Nitpicking is a term, first attested in 1956, that describes the action of giving too much attention to unimportant detail. [1] [2] A person who nitpicks is termed as a nitpicker. [1] [3]
The terminology originates from the common act of manually removing nits (the eggs of lice, generally head lice) from another person's hair. [4]
As nitpicking inherently requires fastidious attention to detail, the term has become appropriated to describe the practice of meticulously searching for minor, even trivial errors in detail. [5]
Nitpicking has been used to describe dishonest insurers [6] and bullying employers, or even bullying family members. [7]
Nitpicking is a term, first attested in 1956, that describes the action of giving too much attention to unimportant detail. [1] [2] A person who nitpicks is termed as a nitpicker. [1] [3]
The terminology originates from the common act of manually removing nits (the eggs of lice, generally head lice) from another person's hair. [4]
As nitpicking inherently requires fastidious attention to detail, the term has become appropriated to describe the practice of meticulously searching for minor, even trivial errors in detail. [5]
Nitpicking has been used to describe dishonest insurers [6] and bullying employers, or even bullying family members. [7]