🗓️ Idiom: Split Hairs (verb)
💬 Meaning
- To argue or worry about very small or unimportant details.
- To make fine or unnecessary distinctions between things.
🧠 Example Sentences
- During meetings, Tom often splits hairs about wording instead of focusing on the main issue.
- Let’s not split hairs, the two reports say almost the same thing.
- She’s known for splitting hairs when reviewing contracts, even over commas and spaces.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom split hairs dates back to the 1600s. It comes from the image of trying to divide a single hair. Something nearly impossible because it’s already so thin. It began to describe people who focus too much on tiny or unimportant differences.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Stop __________ about the exact wording and focus on the main message.
Answer
splitting hairs
2. Choose the correct answer:
If someone is “splitting hairs,” they are:
a) Talking about important business goals
b) Arguing over small, unimportant details
c) Making fast decisions
Answer
b) Arguing over small, unimportant details
3. Change the sentence using “split hairs”:
“He’s focusing too much on tiny differences in the report.”
Answer
He’s splitting hairs about the report.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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