Meanings
nounsplit hairs pl (plural only)
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyTedious details; minutiae.
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.
1999 February 4, Lev Grossman, “Microsoft Tangled Up in Videotape Evidence”, in Time
verbsplit hairs (third-person singular simple present splits hairs, present participle splitting hairs, simple past and past participle split hairs)
present singular third person splits hairs · participle present splitting hairs
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo consider or argue about fine details; to worry about minutiae.
Similar
Translations
Catalan trobar pèls als ous, trobar pèls en tot
- trobar pèls als ousto consider fine details
- trobar pèls en totto consider fine details
- filar primto consider fine details
- primfilarto consider fine details
Chinese Cantonese 雞蛋裡挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头, 雞蛋裏挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头
- 雞蛋裡挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头to consider fine details
- 雞蛋裏挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头 (gai¹ daan⁶ leoi⁵ tiu¹ gwat¹ tau⁴)to consider fine details
- 吹毛求疵 (ceoi¹ mou⁴ kau⁴ ci¹)to consider fine details
- 指指點點 /指指点点 (zi² zi² dim² dim²)to consider fine details
- 找碴 (zaau² zaa¹)to consider fine details
- 找岔子 (zaau² caa³ zi²)to consider fine details
Chinese Mandarin 吹毛求疵, 雞蛋裡挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头
- 吹毛求疵 (chuīmáoqiúcī)to consider fine details
- 雞蛋裡挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头to consider fine details
- 雞蛋裏挑骨頭 /鸡蛋里挑骨头 (jīdàn li tiāo gǔtou, jīdàn lǐ tiāo gútou)to consider fine details
- 指指點點 /指指点点 (zhǐzhǐdiǎndiǎn)to consider fine details
- 錙銖必較 /锱铢必较 (zī zhū bìjiào)to consider fine details
Dutch haarkloven, muggenziften
- haarklovento consider fine details
- muggenziftento consider fine details
Finnish hiustenhalkominen, pilkunviilaus
- hiustenhalkominentedious details
- pilkunviilaustedious details
- halkoa hiuksiato consider fine details
French couper les cheveux en quatre, chercher la petite bête
- couper les cheveux en quatreto consider fine details
- chercher la petite bêteto consider fine details
- enculer les mouchesto consider fine details
German Haarspalterei, Haare spalten
- Haarspaltereitedious details
- Haare spaltento consider fine details
- Haarspaltereito consider fine details
Hebrew הִתְפַּלְפֵּל
- הִתְפַּלְפֵּל (hitpalpél)to consider fine details
Hindi मीन-मेख निकालना
- मीन-मेख निकालना (mīn-mekh nikālnā)to consider fine details
Hungarian akadékoskodik, szőrszálat hasogat
- akadékoskodikto consider fine details
- szőrszálat hasogatto consider fine details
- kákán is csomót keresto consider fine details
- kukacoskodikto consider fine details
Icelandic hártogun
- hártoguntedious details
Irish míníneacht
- míníneachttedious details
Italian pignolo, cavilloso
- pignolotedious details
- cavillosotedious details
- pedantetedious details
- perfezionistatedious details
- caliatedious details
- spaccare il capello in quattroto consider fine details
- cercare il pelo nell'uovoto consider fine details
- pignolareto consider fine details
- fiscalizzareto consider fine details
- cavillareto consider fine details
Japanese 枝葉末節にとらわれる, 重箱の隅を楊枝でほじくる
- 枝葉末節にとらわれる (shiyōmassetsu ni torawareru)to consider fine details
- 重箱の隅を楊枝でほじくる (jūbako no sumi o yōji de hojikuru)to consider fine details
- 難癖を付ける (nankuse o tsukeru)to consider fine details
Polish szczegóły, dzielić włos na czworo
- szczegółytedious details
- dzielić włos na czworoto consider fine details
Portuguese procurar pelo em ovo, procurar chifre em cabeça de cavalo
- procurar pelo em ovoto consider fine details
- procurar chifre em cabeça de cavaloto consider fine details
Romanian despica firul în patru
- despica firul în patruto consider fine details
Russian вдаваться в тонкости
- вдаваться в тонкости (vdavatʹsja v tonkosti)to consider fine details
Spanish hilar fino, hilar delgado
- hilar finoto consider fine details
- hilar delgadoto consider fine details
- buscarle tres pies al gatoto consider fine details
- buscarle el pelo al huevoto consider fine details
- rizar el rizoto consider fine details
- sacarle la raíz cuadradato consider fine details
Swedish hårklyveri, hårklyveri
- hårklyveritedious details
- hårklyverito consider fine details
Welsh hollti blew
- hollti blewto consider fine details
Cite this entry
APA
split hairs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/split%20hairs
MLA
“split hairs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/split%20hairs. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “split hairs,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/split%20hairs.
Source: split hairs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.