Split hairs Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈspɫɪt/ /ˈhɛɹz

SPLIT HAIRZ

UK

splˈɪt/ /hˈeəz

split HAIRZ

Definition

To argue or focus on very small, unimportant details, often unnecessarily.

Usage & Nuances

This idiom is informal and often used to criticize someone for paying too much attention to minor details instead of the bigger picture. Commonly used in debates or when trying to move a discussion forward.

• Spanish: buscarle tres pies al gato - discutir por pequeñeces
• Portuguese (BR): procurar pelo em ovo - discutir detalhes insignificantes
• Portuguese (PT): procurar pelo em ovo - discutir detalhes insignificantes
• Chinese (Simplified): 吹毛求疵 - 纠结细节
• Chinese (Traditional): 吹毛求疵 - 糾結細節
• Hindi: बाल की खाल निकालना - छोटी-छोटी बातों में उलझना
• Arabic: التدقيق في التفاصيل الصغيرة - التشبث بالتفاصيل
• Bengali: ক্ষুদ্র বিষয়ে ঝগড়া করা - অতি সূক্ষ্ম পার্থক্য নিয়ে বিতর্ক করা
• Russian: придираться к мелочам - спорить о пустяках
• Japanese: 細かいことにこだわる - 重箱の隅をつつく
• Vietnamese: xét nét từng chi tiết nhỏ - bắt bẻ tiểu tiết
• Korean: 사소한 것까지 따지다 - 쓸데없이 꼬집다
• Turkish: incir çekirdeğini doldurmaz şeylerle uğraşmak - ayrıntılarda boğulmak
• Urdu: بال کی کھال نکالنا - معمولی باتوں پر بحث کرنا
• Indonesian: memperdebatkan hal sepele - membesar-besarkan masalah kecil

Example Sentences

Let's not split hairs about who forgot to turn off the lights.

basic

There's no need to split hairs; both answers are correct.

basic

Stop splitting hairs and make a decision.

basic

Are we really going to split hairs about this tiny mistake?

natural

I wish you wouldn't split hairs every time we disagree.

natural

The boss hates it when people split hairs during meetings instead of finding solutions.

natural