nitpicking(形容词/名词)指过分挑剔、吹毛求疵,专注于微不足道的小细节而忽略整体。常带有贬义,形容一个人对小问题过于计较。
/ˈnɪtˌpɪkɪŋ/
Stop nitpicking — the report is good enough.
别再吹毛求疵了——这份报告已经够好了。
His constant nitpicking over minor formatting issues made the team reluctant to share their work with him.
他总是对细小的格式问题吹毛求疵,弄得团队都不愿意跟他分享工作成果。
nitpicking 由 nit(虱卵)和 picking(挑拣)组合而成。字面意思是"挑虱卵",源自人们用手从头发中一粒一粒挑出细小虱卵的动作。因为虱卵极其微小,这个行为被用来比喻对琐碎细节过分关注。该词在20世纪中期开始在美式英语中流行,逐渐成为"吹毛求疵"的常用表达。