splitting hairs.

[LauBeast]

what does this phrase mean and where did it come from?

example "let's not split hairs about it" have i got it in the right context?

[jno]

hairs are so fine already that splitting them would be extremely difficult and a complete waste of time, so 'let's not waste time on meaningless details'.

[LauBeast]

oh, thats kinda would make sense.. thanks JNO. i wouldn't mind knowing where and when this phrase was first used but i dont wanna split hairs!! ;0)

[Mr Songman]

SPLIT HAIRS - "Argue extensively over trifles or fine distinctions; quibble. A hair can be split today without much trouble, but once it was thought to be so fine that an effort to split it would be a waste of time. The same was true of trifling points, and the analogy between the one and the other was made long ago. A translation in 1691 of Gabriel D'Emillianne's 'Observations on a Journey to Naples' offered: 'Shewing himself very inventive and dexterous at splitting a Hair in his way of handling Scholastick matter.' Gabriel D'Emillianne was the pseudonym of Antonio Gauin." From "Dictionary of Cliches" by James Rogers (Wings Books, Originally New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985).

Hope this helps

[ukhelen25]

Bloody hell! - those were complicated... Listen - the hair is so small - when the point of an argument is tight, you play-act to pluck a hair, and say "split this one". . . x