IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishpick holes in
Meaning: To find small faults in something, often unfairly.
Example: “Every time I share a plan, my brother-in-law picks holes in it.”
Origin: The image is of tearing at cloth to find weak spots. The phrase, earlier "pick a hole in someone's coat," is found from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: botar defeito Literally: To place a defect
Dutch: gaten schieten in Literally: To shoot holes in
French: Chercher la petite bête Literally: To look for the little beast
More English idioms
- go under the knife To have a surgical operation.
- kick against the pricks To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
- hell for leather As fast as possible.
- buy a pig in a poke To buy something without examining it first.
- not a soul Absolutely nobody.
- a Trojan horse Something that seems harmless but hides a threat inside.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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