Like most people, you have probably heard the term "nit-picking." It is synonymous with someone being extremely picky about how things are done. However, the term did not always mean that. In fact, the origins of the phrase have everything to do with lice removal. Here is how this phrase has come to mean two very different things simultaneously.
Nit-Picking for Lice Removal
Nit-picking used to mean (and still does in some parts of the world), the removal of nits or lice eggs by coming through the hair and looking for the very tiny, silvery nits. Once they are spotted, you have to pinch the nit between your thumb and forefinger and pull it from the hair shaft. While this is still the tried and true and preferred method for lice removal, it is very tedious and time consuming. The process itself requires an almost anal-retentive temperament in order to get all of the nits off of someone's head and thus prevent new lice from hatching. The adult lice may be removed the same way, but you have to catch them first because they can crawl really fast.
By Comparison, Nit-Picking for Very Picky Taskmasters
When you have a boss that is nit-picking everything you do, you can almost envision him or her as someone who would sit for hours picking lice and nits out of your hair. The tedious task of removing lice was recognized centuries ago as a very detail-oriented chore. Eventually bosses and taskmasters who were very particular about how to do things and made their employees, serfs, and slaves do them again and again were said to be "nit-pickers" and were "nit-picking." Thus lice removal gave rise to a new way of describing someone else's irritating and repetitious behavior.
Nit-Picking in Conversation and the Modern Lice-Removal Option
Now, if you were to discuss nit-picking in conversation, you should probably clarify if someone from another country overhears you. He or she might think you are talking about the process of removing lice by hand and not about your boss, friend, or intimate partner and then avoid you, thinking that you have lice. It may be easier to clarify by adding a sentence about how irritating someone is so that the context of the phrase is not confused. As for actual lice removal, you can skip the nit-picking process and opt to use a shampoo that kills the lice and nymphs and poisons the eggs all at once.
Share14 December 2016
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