Monday 1 June 2009

Idioms: Nit-picker

DO YOU NIT-PICK?





Do you know anyone who is picky?

If someone set a higher standard than yours, and you think that is asking too much, we call them the nit-pickers.


You see the picture on the left? That is a louse (plural "lice"), and nit is the egg from this very tiny little insect, which appears on the body of your pet cats and dogs, or maybe even inside your bed or clothes, etc. Since louse is already so small, its nits are even more microscopic. Thus a nit-picker is a person nobody likes to work with because they are "trying to pick bones inside the eggs" as the Chinese put it.


Examples includes:
1) Monkey

2) Children

3) Parents

4) Old men






picture resources:

http://www.licehunter.org/images/louse_big.jpg

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:I5uGAY8V1W7-4M:http://www.insectpod.com/images/20070828_bark_louse_big.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2550887565_34241d2cf8.jpg


http://fotosa.ru/stock_photo/Westend61_RF/p_1701296.jpg


http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1487/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1487R-54927.jpg

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rma/lowres/rman5276l.jpg