IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchChercher la petite bête
Meaning: To nitpick; to hunt for a trivial fault.
Literally: To look for the little beast
Example: “Mon correcteur cherche toujours la petite bête dans mes rapports.” — My editor is always nitpicking my reports.
English equivalent: To pick holes in something
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: botar defeito Literally: To place a defect
Dutch: gaten schieten in Literally: To shoot holes in
English: pick holes in
Origin: The petite bête is the louse or flea one searches for by combing minutely through hair or seams. Applied to argument, it describes someone examining a text or plan at exactly that scale.
More French idioms
- Rabattre le caquet à quelqu'un To shut someone up; to take an insolent person down a peg.
- Caracoler en tête To lead by a wide margin, especially in a race or in polls.
- Muet comme une carpe Completely silent; saying absolutely nothing.
- La caque sent toujours le hareng However far you rise, low origins always show through.
- Aller à Canossa To humble oneself completely before someone; to submit and beg forgiveness.
- Parler à la cantonade To speak to a group at large without addressing anyone in particular.
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- Joli comme un cœur Utterly charming or adorable.
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- Tu déchires You're awesome — you totally rock.
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