IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishsplit hairs
Meaning: To argue about some detail that is not important.
Example: “Whether it's teal or turquoise, let's not split hairs.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Couper les cheveux en quatre Literally: To cut hair in four- French: Chercher midi à quatorze heures Literally: To look for noon at two in the afternoon
Portuguese: Procurar pelo em ovo Literally: To look for hair on an egg
Spanish: Buscarle tres pies al gato Literally: To look for three feet on the cat
Turkish: Armudun sapı var, üzümün çöpü var Literally: The pear has a stalk, the grape has a seed- French: Enculer les mouches Literally: To sodomize flies
Origin: A hair is so fine that splitting it lengthwise would be absurdly precise. Earlier English said "cut a hair"; "split hairs" for arguing over tiny differences is recorded from the 17th century.
More English idioms
- step on it To hurry.
- stew in one's own juices To suffer the consequences of one's own actions.
- stick to one's guns To be firm in one's resolve or not to alter one's position.
- straight and narrow The path of correct social or ethical behavior that society approves of.
- strange bedfellows People or things that one does not normally expect to find together.
- strapped for cash Not having quite enough money.
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- Du hast Köpfchen You're sharp and clever — you use your brain well.
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